LEGENDS 

OPTHE- 


RED  OJI 

^w»_^f  ^5^H*n^*i*'>^ 

UC-NRLF 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  ^F  CALIFORNIA 

DA  v  IS 


U.CD.  LIBIMRY 


LEGENDS  OF  THE 


RED    CHILDREN 


A  SUPPLEMENTARY  READER 


MARA  L.  PRATT 


AMERICAN    BOOK   COMPANY 
NEW  YORK    •:•    CINCINNATI    •:•    CHIC, 


f 


fVER 


Copyright,  1897,  by  WERNER  SCHOOL  BOOK  COMPANY 


Bed  Children 


CONTENTS. 

PAOB. 

THE  RED  CHILDREN 5-9 

SHINGEBISS 10-14 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  LIGHTNING „ 15-20 

A  LEGEND  OF  THE  SOUTH  WIND 21-24 

THE  STAR  BEAUTIFUL, 25-28 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  MORNING  STAR 29-32 

Wn,i>o'  THE- WISP 33-37 

THE  AURORA,  THE  WHITE  ARCH.  AND  THE  GREAT  BEAR 38-44 

THE  RAINBOW. , 45-49 

THE  RAIN  AND  THE  SNOW 50-52 

^THE  PINE  TREES 53-55 

-   THE  LII,Y-STAR 56-59 

LEGENDS  OF  THE  WINDS 60-65 

—How  THE  SPRING  COMES 66-69 

How  THE  SUMMER  CAME 70-75 

THE  SUN  A  PRISONER 76-81 

MONDAMIN,   THE  RED   Pl,UME 82-86 

MOUNT  TUTOKANULA 87-90 

THE  SNAIL  AND  THE  BEAVER 91-96 

LEGEND  OF  THE  OPECHE 97-102 

THE  LAND  OF  THE  HEREAFTER 103-109 

THE  HIAWATHA  LEGEND ...110-117 

THE  POLE  STAR 118-121 

THE  THUNDERERS 122-128 

3 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

"  WONDERFUL  TO  THE  RED  CHILDREN  WERE  THE  WINDS." 6 

"HA,  LITTLE  SHINGEBISS,  How  Now  CAN  YOU  GET  YOUR  FOOD?  " 10 

'You  HAVE  WASTED  ALL  YOUR  ARROWS." 19 

'•THE  LAZY,  SOFT-EYED  SOUTH  WIND  LAY  UPON  His  DOWNY  COUCH 

OF  CLOUD  MIST." 22 

THE  YOUNG  HUNTER 27 

"  THERE  You  WILL  SEE  YOUR  SISTER  SHINING  OUT  FROM  THE  GRAY."  31 
"THEN  A  GREAT  GUST  OF  WIND  CAUGHT  UP  THE  SINKING  MAIDEN  AND 

CARRIED  HER  AWAY." 35 

"FOR  TO  THE  DRAGONS  THE  MOON  is  SWEET." 40 

"A  GREAT  WHITE  BEAR  SPRANG  OUT  FROM  THE  FOREST  " 42 

"THERE,  STRETCHING  FROM  NORTH  TO  SOUTH,  SWEPT  A  GREAT  ARCH."  47 

"LET  us  TRY,"  SAID  THE  WILD  SEA-GULLS 51 

THE  TALLEST  CHIEF  IN  ALL  THE  EARTH 53 

"AND  THE  CHILDREN  CAME  IN  THEIR  TINY  CANOES." 57 

WEZEATTAH  BRINGS  WAR  AGAINST  ETOKAH 63 

THEN  OLD  WINTER'S  VOICE  WAS  STILL 68 

"BUT  WE  MUST  HAVE  FOOD,"  SAID  THE  RED  MEN.... 71 

"I  WILL  TRY,"  SAID  THE  MOLE 79 

THEN  THE  BRAVE  WARRIOR  AND  THE  TINY  RED  PLUME  WRESTLED...  83 

THERE  THE  LITTLE  CHILDREN  STOOD 89 

So  THE  MAN  TOOK  THE  ARROW  AND  THE  Bow 92 

"SORROW  NOT  FOR  ME,  MY  FATHER.". 101 

AND  WHEN  THE  YOUNG  BRAVE  APPROACHED,  THE  ANIMALS  RAN  Our 

TO  MEET  HIM 107 

AND  AS  HE  SAT  IN  His  CANOE,  Lo !  THE  AIR  WAS  FILLED  WITH  SWEET 

Music...  115 


THE  RED  CHILDREN. 

Many  years  ago,  when  this  country  of  ours  was 
one  great  forest  stretching  from  ocean  to  ocean, 
there  dwelt  here  and  there,  upon  the  plains  and 
along  the  river  banks,  a  race  of  happy  little  children. 

The  Red  Children  we  call  them;  but  they  called 
themselves  the  Children  of  the  Sun.  Very  free  and 
happy  they  were;  for  all  day  long  tney  played  be 
neath  the  trees  and  among  the  grasses. 

The  winds  and  the  stars  they  called  their  little 
brothers;  and  when  the  thunders  rolled  and  the 
beautiful  lightnings  flashed,  when  the  north  wind 
roared  and  the  trees  in  the  great  forests  bowed 
before  the  storm,  the  Red  Children  rejoiced  and  their 
brave  little  hearts  throbbed  with  delight.  For  some 
day  they  would  be  tall,  strong  warriors;  strong  like 
the  north  wind;  fleet  like  the  lightning;  terrible 
like  the  heavy  thunder. 

They  loved  the  sun  and  the  clear  sweet  air;  and 
when  at  sunset  they  looked  away  towards  the  west, 
they  thought  of  the  wonderful  tent  where  Wahkee- 


6 


LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

*sm 


'WONDERFUL,  TO  THE  BED  CHILDREN  WERE  THE  WINDS 


THE    RED    CHILDREN. 


yan,  the  air  god,  dwelt.  This  tent,  which  had  four 
great  doors,  one  looking  east,  one  west,  one  south,  one 
north,  was  guarded  by  four  sentinels  robed  in  scarlet. 

At  the  east  gate  there  was  a  butterfly,  of  colors 
like  the  sunrise  ;  at  the  west  was  a  bear ;  at  the  south 
a  fawn  ;  and  at  ,the  north  a  fleet  reindeer. 

Wonderful  to  the  Red  Children  were  the  winds  as 
they  swept  across  the  plains,  moving  the  trees  and 
the  flowers  to  and  fro,  but  never,  no  matter  how 
closely  the  children  watched,  forgetting  to  keep 
themselves  a  mystery. 

There  was  Wa-bund,  the  East  Wind,  always  young 
and  beautiful.  He  it  was  that  brought  the  morning, 
and  with  his  silver  arrows  chased  the  darkness  down 
the  valley.  He  it  was  that  painted  the  clouds,  and 
called  the  deer  and  the  hunter  from  their  sleep. 

There  was  the  West  Wind,  Ka-be-yun,  the  strong, 
soft  wind  that  ever  and  forever,  over  all  the  winds 
of  heaven,  held  supremest  power.  It  was  he  that  could 
drive  away  the  clouds — the  heavy  water-laden  clouds 
of  the  south,  or  the  cold,  cruel  clouds  of  the  north; 
and  at  his  call  the  sun  shone  forth,  the  moon  and  the 
stars,  and  the  blue  sky  smiled  down  upon  the  earth. 


8  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

There  was  the  South  Wind,  dreamy  and  drowsy, 
who  had  his  dwelling  far  to  southward,  where  sum 
mer  never  ended,  and  where  the  robins,  the  bluebirds, 
and  the  swallows  dwelt.  When,  amid  his  fields  of 
fruit  and  melons,  and  his  vines  heavy  with  the  purple 
clusters,  he  sat  at  sunset  and  smoked  his  pipe  of 
peace,  then  the  smoke  rolled  northward;  it  filled  the 
air  with  haze  and  vapor;  it  touched  the  rugged  moun 
tains  with  smoothness,  and  brought  the  golden  Indian 
summer. 

And  there  was  the  North  Wind,  Ka-bib-nok-ka, 
who  came  forth  from  his  lodge  of  snowdrifts,  from  his 
home  among  the  icebergs.  His  hair,  sprinkled  with 
snow,  floated  behind  him  like  a  river.  The  little 
brooks  were  still,  and  the  fishes  fled  for  shelter  when 
the  breath  of  Kabibnokka  fell  upon  them.  He  loved 
to  send  the  snowflakes  flying,  sifting,  hissing  through 
the  forest;  to  freeze  the  ponds,  the  lakes,  the  rivers; 
to  drive  the  loon  and  the  seagull  southward;  and 
to  chase  the  cormorant  and  the  curlew  to  their  nests 
among  the  rushes — this  cruel,  fitful  Kabibnokka. 

Thus  the  four  winds  were   divided.     And  happy 
were  the  little  Red  Children,  when,  curled  up  snugly 


THE    RED    CHILDREN. 


in  their  blankets,  close  beside  the  wigwam  fire,  they 
listened  to  the  chiefs  as  they  told  the  stories  of 
them  and  of  their  dwelling-places  in  the  corners  of 
the  heavens. 

But  these  were  not  the  only  stories;  for  the  little 
Red  Children  were  story-lovers,  as  were  also  their 
fathers  and  mothers. 

Every  tribe  had  its  story-teller  who  went  from 
wigwam  to  wigwam;  and  when  the  days  were  short 
and  the  nights  long  he  would  sit  before  the  fire  and 
tell  most  wonderful  stories  of  the  moon,  the  stars, 
the  trees,  the  flowers,  and  even  of  the  white  rabbits, 
the  foxes,  the  waterfowl,  and  the  tiny,  timid  birds. 

All  these,  the  little  Red  Children  listened  to  and 
learned.  They  told  them  to  one  another,  the  larger 
children  to  the  smaller;  and  by-and-by,  when  they 
were  tall,  strong  warriors,  they  told  them  to  their 
own  little  children.  These  in  turn  told  them  to  their 
children;  and  those  again  in  turn  to  theirs,  till  by- 
and-by  some  wise  men  who  loved  the  Red  Children 
and  saw  the  sweetness  of  their  simple  stories,  gathered 
them  together  and  told  them  in  a  book,  so  that  you 
and  I  might  read  these  legends  of  the  Red  Children. 


SHINGEBISS. 


AR  away  to 
pk  the  North, 
where  the 
snow  and  ice  are 
ever  present, 
where  the  lakes 
are  ever  frozen 
over,  and  where  the  mountains  glisten  swhite  in  the 
sunlight,  dwelt  the  North  Wind. 

Beside  a  solitary  lake,  though  the  winter  was  bitter 
and  cold,  and  the  ice  was  thick  upon  the  water, 
dwelt  Shing-e-biss,  the  Wild  Duck. 

It  was   a  poor,  little    hut,  the    house    in   which 


HA,  LITTLE    SHINGEBI8S,  HOW   NOW  CAN   YOU   GET 

FOOD?  " 


10 


SHINGEBISS.  II 

Shingebiss  lived  and  little  wood  had  he  to  warm  it 
with.  There  were  only  four  logs;  yet,  these  were 
large  and  each  would  burn  a  month. 

"  Why  should  I  want  another  log,"  the  cheery 
Shingebiss  would  say,  u  since  there  are  but  four  cold 
months  in  the  year  ?  " 

Now  Shingebiss  was  brave  and  fearless.  No  day 
was  to  him  too  cold;  and  let  the  North  Wind  rage  as 
he  would,  he  was  never  afraid  to  fly  down  to  the  lake 
for  food. 

Sometimes  the  North  Wind  would  freeze  the  water 
over  and  shriek,  "  Ha,  ha,  little  Shingebiss,  how  now 
can  you  get  your  food  ?  " 

Shingebiss  would  laugh  and  say,  "  I  still  can  live." 

Then  he  would  walk  out  upon  the  ice,  and  with  his 
strong  bill  pull  out  the  rushes  that  grew  up  through 
the  water,  so  as  to  make  holes  in  the  ice,  through 
which  he  could  catch  the  tiny  fishes  swimming  be 
neath.  Often,  even  in  the  iciest  weather,  Shingebiss 
was  seen  hurrying  homeward  with  strings  of  fish, 
even  though  the  North  Wind  had  tried  his  best  to 
thwart  him. 

"This  is  a  very  strange  duck,"   said  the  North 


12  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

Wind;  "he  cares  not  for  snow  or  ice;  for  frost  or 
biting  blast.  I  will  go  to  his  home,  and  send  my 
cold  breath  in  upon  him  there.'7 

But  Shingebiss  had  cooked  his  fish  and  eaten  a 
nice  warm  supper.  The  log  was  burning  brightly, 
and  he  lay  stretched  out  before  it. 

Carefully  the  North  Wind  crept  up  to  the  door,  and 
breathed  in  upon  the  little  hut. 

"  I  know  who  is  there,';  thought  Shingebiss;  for  he 
felt  the  cold  upon  his  back.  So  he  began  to  sing 
loudly  and  with  cheer: 

"  Ka  neej,  ka  neej ! 
Bee  in,  bee  in; 
Bon  in,  bon  in; 
Oc  ee,  oc  ee; 
Ka  weya!  Ka  weya!" 
This  was  his  way  of  saying: 

"  Windy  god,  I  know  your  plan ! 
You  are  but  my  fellow  man; 
Blow  you  may  your  fiercest  breeze, 
Shingebiss  you  cannot  freeze. 
Sweep  the  strongest  wind  you  can, 
Shingebiss  is  still  your  man. 
Heigh  for  life!  and  ho  for  bliss! 
Who  so  free  as  Shingebiss!" 


SHINGEBISS.  13 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  North  Wind;  uhow  dares 
this  Shingebiss  sing  of  me  like  this!  Does  he  not 
know  I  can  freeze  him  and  nip  him  ?  I  will  not  be 
defied  like  this  ;"  and  so,  creeping  under  the  door, 
the  North  Wind  pushed  his  way  into  ,the  house  of 
Shingebiss,  and  sat  down  before  the  fire. 

Shingebiss  knew  that  he  had  entered,  but  he  paid 

no  heed. 

"Kaneej!  Kaneej!" 

he  kept  on  singing,  loud  and  clear. 

u  I  wonder  whether  he  knows  I  am  here,"  the  North 
Wind  thought  to  himself.  "  Does  he  not  feel  me  ?  " 

But  the  little  duck  went  on  singing,  louder  and 
louder,  and  at  the  same  time  stirring  the  great  log 
until  it  cracked  and  snapped,  and  the  roaring  flames 
leaped  up  the  chimney. 

"  Ka  neej !  ka  neej ! 
Bee  in !  bee  in  ! " 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  North  Wind  again;  "Well, 

well!" 

"Ka  neej,  ka  neej !" 

"I  can  never  put  down  this  fire!  I  am  melting; 
but  the  Shingebiss  is  not  freezing!  I  cannot  breathe! 
Never  before  did  I  feel  such  heat." 


14  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

And  indeed  the  North  Wind  was  melting.  His 
frosty  hair  was  wet.  The  water  dripped  from  his 
long  white  beard;  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks. 
Soon,  with  one  faint  shriek  he  fled  out  into  the  cold 
air  again. 

UA  strange  little  creature,  that  Shingebiss,"  said 
he,  as  he  flew  towards  his  home  in  the  north.  "A 
strange  little  creature.  I  cannot  freeze  him,  I  can 
not  starve  him.  I  do  not  understand." 

And  never  again  did  the  North  Wind  try;  and 
that  is  why  all  winter  long  the  Shingebiss  is  warm 
in  his  soft  coat  of  long,  thick  feathers,  and  why,  even 
when  the  ice  is  thick,  he  can  always  find  his  food  in 
those  places  where  the  rushes  grow. 


THE  LEGENDS  OF  THE  LIGHTNING. 

There  was  once  a  poor  little  Indian  lad  whose 
father,  a  great  chief,  had  fallen  in  battle,  and  whose 
mother  had  been  carried  away  by  the  enemy. 

"  We  will  not  take  that  little  lad  with  us,"  said 
the  enemy,  ufor  it  might  be  that  he  would  grow  up 
and  avenge  the  death  of  his  father." 

So  when  the  village  was  burned  and  the  corn 
fields  trampled  down,  the  little  lad  was  left  alone  with 
neither  food  nor  shelter ;  and  the  enemy  went  away, 
down  the  valley,  carrying  with  them  the  little  lad's 
mother  and  all  his  sisters  to  serve  as  slaves  in  the 
homes  of  their  captors. 

All  day  long  the  little  lad  wandered  up  and  down 
among  the  burned  wigwams,  finding  here  and  there 
a  kernel  of  corn  to  keep  him  from  starving;  but 
when  night  came  he  was  very  tired  and  hungry  and 
crept  into  the  woods  for  shelter. 

Already  the  wolves  had  learned  that  the  village 
had  been  burned,  and  that  the  people  had  gone  away; 


15 


1 6  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

so  down  they  came  into  the  forest  in  search  of  food. 
They  said,  "there  will  be  no  one  .now  to  watch  for 
us  and  try  to  shoot  us  with  their  rapid  arrows/' 

Hardly  had  the  boy  laid  himself  down  to  sleep 
when,  close  beside  his  head,  he  heard  the  roars  of 
bears  and  the  hungry  howls  of  wolves. 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  tried  to  run;  but  the 
wolves  were  everywhere  about  him,  and  already  he 
could  see  their  flaming  eyes. 

Now  this  little  lad  was  brave  and  nimble;  he  could 
run  like  a  deer  and  he  could  climb  like  a  cat.  So 
with  a  bound  he  sprang  toward  a  tall,  straight  pine, 
seized  it  in  his  arms,  and  before  even  the  swiftest 
wolf  could  overtake  him,  was  far  up  among  the  tree's 
protecting  branches. 

Then  the  pine  branches  whispered  softly  to  him, 
and  bade  him  curl  himself  up  among  them  and  go 
to  sleep.  The  trunk,  so  erect  and  strong,  made  a 
back  for  him  to  rest  against,  and  the  little  pine  tufts 
spread  themselves  over  him  to  keep  him  warm,  and 
the  slender  boughs  held  him  securely  in  their  arms. 

But  in  the  night,  a  voice  from  out  the  sky  spoke 
to  him.  It  was  the  voice  of  a  good  manito,  and  it 


LEGENDS    OF   THE   LIGHTNING.  17 

said  to  the  child:  "I  am  sorry  for  you,  little  lad; 
and  I  am  come  to  bear  you  away  with  me  into  the 
upper  air.  There  you  will  never  be  hungry  or  cold, 
and  no  cruel  wild  beasts  will  seek  to  devour  you 
when  the  night  comes  on." 

Then  the  child  felt  himself  lifted  high  above  the 
forest  trees.  Away  out  over  the  country  they  sped, 
higher  and  higher,  and  towards  the  shining  stars. 

Then  there  were  put  into  the  child's  hands,  twelve 
silver  arrows,  and  the  good  manito  said,  "Go,  now, 
to  the  northern  sky,  where  the  cruel  manitos  dwell. 
With  these  arrows  shoot  down  the  chiefest  among 
them.  Fling  them  over  the  edge  of  the  earth  into 
the  great  sea  that  surrounds  us;  then  will  the  Red 
Children  bless  you.  The  good  manitos,  too,  will  be 
glad;  for  those  in  the  northern  sky  often  work  evil 
to  us  as  well." 

So  the  child  took  the  arrows  and  set  out  into  the 
northern  sky  where  the  manitos  dwelt ;  and  there 
he  found  them  in  great  numbers,  hurrying  back  and 
forth  across  the  sky. 

Skillfully  he  bent  the  bow  while  he  took  most 
careful  aim. 


l8  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

One,  two,  three  arrows  he  shot  across  the  great 
snow  fields.  Four,  five,  six;  still  no  manito  had 
been  brought  low.  Seven,  eight,  nine ;  it  was  very 
strange.  Ten,  eleven — only  one  arrow  now  was  left; 
for  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  the  manitos,  sharp  of 
eye  and  quick,  when  they  saw  the  arrows  coming, 
sprang  high  in  the  air  above  them,  or  sank  beneath 
the  mysterious  sky  line  which  man,  though  he  should 
travel  day  and  night,  could  never  reach. 

Now  one  more,  the  last  arrow,  the  child  raised  in 
air.  With  care  he  poised  it,  and  with  skill  he  drew 
the  cord.  Straight  at  the  heart  of  the  chiefest  of  the 
manitos  he  sent  it;  but  alas,  hardly  had  it  sped  half 
its  way  across  the  snow  fields,  when  the  manito, 
transforming  himself  into  a  mighty  mountain,  stood 
black  and  grim  against  the  northern  sky. 

Against  the  rocky  mountain  side  the  arrow  struck, 
and  fell  shattered  into  the  seething  waters. 

"  And  now,"  roared  a  voice  from  out  the  mountain, 
"  you  have  wasted  all  your  arrows.  Twelve  of  them 
have  you  shot  out  across  the  sky  at  the  mighty  man 
itos.  Bear  now  your  punishment;  for  the  anger  of 
the  manitos  is  upon  you.  In  all  the  time  to  come, 


LEGENDS   OF   THE    LIGHTNING. 


YOU  HAVE  WASTED  ALL  YOUB  ARROWS.' 


2O  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

you  shall  ever  like  your  arrows,  flash  and  gleam,  and 
shoot  across  the  skies.  The  people  of  the  earth 
shall  fear  you,  and  you  shall  carry  destruction  wher 
ever  you  go." 

Then  came  a  crash  of  thunder.  The  child  was  lifted 
high  among  the  clouds.  The  north  wind  howled,  and 
hurled  him  across  the  sky,  leaving  along  his  track 
a  trail  of  blazing  fire. 

"It  is  the  lone  lightning,"  the  Red  Children  say 
when  they  see  the  fire  among  the  clouds;  "the  blue 
lightning,  into  which  once  a  little  lad  was  changed 
by  the  cruel  manitos  of  the  northern  sky." 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  SOUTH  WIND. 

The  lazy,  soft-eyed  South  Wind  lay  upon  his 
downy  couch  of  cloud  mist,  and  looked  away  to  the 
distant  north. 

He  sang  softly  to  himself  as  he  swung  to  and  fro, 
and  wondered  what  there  might  be  of  joy  and  beauty 
away  off  toward  the  northern  sky. 

And  as  he  looked,  he  saw  a  great  field ;  and  among 
its  waving  grasses  were  bright  yellow  flowers,  shin 
ing  like  bits  of  gold. 

"  They  are  like  my  own  soft  yellow  light,"  thought 
the  South  Wind;  "the  soft  yellow  light  with  which 
I  mellow  fields,  and  hills,  and  valleys,  and  dales,  when 
the  Indian  summer  broods  over  the  earth.  But  I 
wonder,  wonder  what  the  little  yellow  flower  is, 
whence  it  came  and  whither  it  will  go." 

But  the  South  Wind  was  indolent ;  he  wondered 
and  he  dreamed,  but  never  once  did  he  rise  from  his 
soft  cloud-mist  couch. 

One  morning  he  looked  again  toward  the  north,  and 


21 


A  LEGEND   OF   THE    SOUTH   WIND. 


*THE  LAZY,    SOFT-EYED   SOUTH  WIND  LAY  UPON  HIS  DOWNY  COUCH  OF 
GLOUD   MIST." 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  SOUTH  WIND.  23 

lo,  a  great  change  had  come  upon  the  field  of  golden 
flowers. 

The  rich  yellow  had  disappeared ;  and  in  place  of 
the  golden  crowns  each  flower  shone  fleecy  white, 
among  the  waving  grasses. 

"Alas,  alas,"  the  South  Wind  sighed;  "my 
brother,  the  North  Wind,  has  wrought  this  change. 
He  has  touched  the  heads  of  these  golden  flowers 
with  his  icy  breath." 

"  Why  need  he  blight  the  summer  fields ;  why 
need  he  rob  them  of  their  beauty  ? " 

And  as  the  South  Wind  sighed,  there  was  a  flutter 
among  the  flowers  and  grasses  in  all  the  sunny  fields  ; 
their  heads  waved  to  and  fro,  and  the  grasses 
whispered  softly  to  one  another. 

Then,  even  while  the  South  Wind  looked,  be 
hold  the  little  shining  white  crowns  disappeared.  It 
was  a  strange  change.  The  South  Wind  could  not 
understand,  but  the  air  for  miles  and  miles  around 
was  filled  with  tiny,  white-winged  filaments ;  and 
they  flew  hither  and  thither,  rising  and  falling  with 
the  wind,  and  frolicking  only  the  faster  when  the  sad 
South  Wind  sighed. 


24  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

"The  dandelion  seeds  are  looking  for  a  place  to 
sleep  through"  the  winter,  said  the  little  Red  Chil 
dren.  "See  how  the  South  Wind  helps  them." 

But  the  South  Wind  said,  "  What  do  the  children 
mean?  It  is  very  strange." 


THE  STAR  BEAUTIFUL. 

There  was  once  a  little  Red  Child  who  loved  the 
stars  more  even  than  he  loved  his  little  brothers  and 
sisters. 

Every  night  when  the  sun  began  to  sink  in  the 
west,  the  boy  would  creep  away  by  himself  up  the 
hillside  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  stars. 

And  one  there  was  that  seemed  to  him  brighter 
and  more  beautiful  than  all  the  others. 

"It  is  my  own  Star  Beautiful! "  he  would  say;  and 
when  it  shot  out  its  first  ray  of  light  to  him  each 
night,  he  would  raise  his  hands  toward  it  and  cry, 
"  Welcome,  welcome,  my  Star  Beautiful ! " 

And  when,  sometimes,  the  star  could  not  shine  out 
because  of  the  heavy  clouds  that  lay  between  it 
and  the  Red  Child,  the  boy  would  look  toward  the 
place  where  he  had  seen  it  last  and  say:  "Star  Beau 
tiful,  you  are  there,  I  know,  although  I  cannot  see 
you.  I  will  go  and  call  to  the  West  Wind  to  drive 
the  clouds  away,  that  I  may  see  you  again."  And 


25 


26  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

the  West  Wind,  loving  the  little  Eed  Child,  always 
answered  the  prayer ;  for  sometimes  the  clouds  would 
break,  even  that  very  evening,  and  the  star  would 
shine  down  through  the  mist  to  its  little  friend. 

By  and  by  the  boy  grew  to  be  a  brave,  strong  war 
rior  ;  no  one  in  all  his  tribe  was  more  daring  than 
he.  Still  better  than  war  did  the  young  man  love 
hunting  and  fishing. 

Nothing  was  so  dear  to  him  as  the  fields  with  their 
star-like  flowers,  and  the  forests  through  which  his 
Star  Beautiful  danced  and  twinkled  among  the 
branches. 

No  hunter  in  any  village  was  so  skillful  with  his 
bow  as  this  young  hunter ;  for  steady  was  his  aim 
and  clear  his  eye.  Then,  too,  when  he  drew  his 
bow,  he  never  forgot  to  say,  "Star  Beautiful,  it  is 
you  who  gives  me  skill.  My  good  Star  Beautiful." 
For  many  and  many  a  time,  now  that  the  little  Red 
Child  had  become  a  man,  did  the  star  come  to  him, 
and  whisper  words  of  wisdom  into  his  heart. 

It  was  the  star  who  directed  him  to  the  forests 
where  game  was  plentiful,  and  to  the  streams  where 
fish  were  abundant ;  and  never  did  he  return  to  his 


THE   STAR   BEAUTIFUL. 


village  without    being  laden  with  both  shining  fish 
and  tender  venison. 

"  The  mighty  hunter,"  his  people  called  him ; 
uwho  never  fails,  and  whom  the  fish  and  deer  seek 
rather  than  flee  away  from  in  the  chase." 


THE   YOUNG   HUNTER. 


"It  is  my  Star  Beautiful  that  gives  me  help  and 
makes  me  skillful,"  the  young  man  would  say. 

Years  rolled  on  and  on.  The  hunter  became  an  old 
man.  All  his  people  loved  him ;  and  when  he  could 
no  longer  fight  nor  hunt,  they  often  came  to  him, 


28  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED   CHILDREN. 

as  he  sat  alone  in  his  wigwam,  to  ask  him  what  was 
wisest  and  best  to  do ;  and  never  did  his  advice  prove 
false  ;  for  he  still  said,  "It  is  my  Star  Beautiful  that 
guides  me." 

And  when  after  a  long  time  the  old  man  came  to 
die,  he  said,  "  I  go  now  to  my  star — the  Star  Beauti 
ful;  for  the  star  has  waited  all  my  life  for  me  to 
come ;  even  since  I  was  a  little  child  and  climbed 
up  the  hillside  to  catch  its  first  ray  of  light." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  MORNING  STAR. 

Far  away  to  the  North  where  the  great  river  had 
its  source,  dwelt  the  little  brother  and  sister  manitos. 

All  their  lives  they  had  run  and  played  to 
gether,  up  and  down  the  river  banks,  gathering 
the  bright  flowers  and  chasing  the  happy  insects. 
But  now  the  time  had  come  when  the  children's  good 
manito  came  to  them  and  said: 

"  Go,  little  sister,  to  the  place  of  the  Breaking 
Light ;  for  there  amid  the  morning  clouds  shall  be 
your  home.  There  a  beautiful  palace  awaits  you, 
and  it  is  made  of  sparkling  rays  of  light.  The 
clouds  hang  over  it,  soft  and  shining ;  the  warm  sun 
lights  it,  and  everywhere  is  song  and  beauty. 

"And  you,  little  brother,  go  to  the  forests,  the 
mountains,  and  the  plains.  There,  in  the  mountain 
already  cut  for  you  from  out  the  strong  gray  rock,  is 
a  fortress  brave.  There  you  shall  dwell ;  and  at 
your  call  the  trees  shall  speak,  the  vines  shall  bear 
their  fruit,  and  beauty  shall  reign  everywhere." 

29 


30  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

Then  the  little  children  looked  into  each  other's 
eyes  and  said,  "  Our  river  is  very  beautiful ;  it,  too, 
sparkles  and  shines,  and  there  is  joy  and  beauty 
everywhere.  But  it  is  the  great  manito's  wish  that 
we  go  away — one  to  the  place  of  the  Breaking  Light, 
the  other  to  the  mountain  where  the  echo  dwells." 

"  But,  my  brother,"  said  the  sister,  "  when  the  pale 
gray  light  begins  to  spread  itself  over  the  sky,  look 
out  from  your  rocky  home  in  the  mountain,  and  turn 
your  eyes  toward  the  far-off  east.  There  you  will 
see  me,  your  sister,  shining  out  from  the  gray,  and 
looking  across  the  plains  to  where  you,  my  brother, 
dwell.  And  when  the  clouds  begin  to  change  and 
their  colors  deepen  into  red  and  orange  and  purple, 
know  that  it  is  my  hand  that  makes  the  beauty ;  for 
it  is  with  these  cloud  mists,  and  the  rays  of  soft 
light  that  I  will  adorn  my  palace  in  the  place  of  the 

Breaking  Light." 

Then  the  brother  said:  "Dear  sister,  on  the  top 
most  cliffs  will  I  dwell  that  I  may  catch  the  first  ray 
of  light  that  comes  from  your  bright  home  among 
the  morning  clouds ;  and  at  every  break  of  day  will  I 
lift  my  eyes  to  greet  the  coming  of  the  red  and  pur- 


THE   LEGEND  OF  THE  MORNING  STAR. 


THERE   YOU  WILL   SEE   YOUR   SISTER   SHINING  OUT  FROM  THE   OBEY. 


32  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED   CHILDREN. 

pie.  And  when  each  morning  I  see  the  glory  in  the 
east,  I  will  say,  4  It  is  my  sister,  and  it  is  she  who 
spreads  this  beauty  across  the  sky.'  I  will  watch 
till  the  sun  comes  and  your  light  fades  away;  and 
then  I  will  know  that  you  have  gone  into  your  beau 
tiful  palace,  and  that  when  the  sun  is  gone  you  will 
come  forth  again  and  will  greet  your  brother." 

Then  there  came  a  great  burst  of  sound  ;  the  four 
winds  were  abroad  and  they  swept  down  the  river 
banks  and  carried  away  the  brother  and  sister.  They 
wafted  the  sister  to  the  place  of  the  Breaking  Light, 
and  she  became  the  Morning  Star  ;  and  they  carried 
the  brother  to  the  mountain  top,  where  he  should 
dwell  forever.  Often  his  voice  was  heard  through 
the  forest  and  among  the  tall  grasses ;  but  never  did 
he  leave  his  high  cliffs  where,  when  the  morning 
came,  he  could  watch  the  red  clouds  with  which  his 
sister  made  beautiful  the  eastern  sky  and  her  own 
cloud  palace  among  the  stars. 


WILL-CT  THE-WISP. 

There  was  strange  commotion  among  the  stars,  and 
one,  losing  its  way  in  the  mist  and  maze  of  clouds, 
wandered  down  towards  the  home  of  the  Red  Chil 
dren. 

Down,  down,  through  the  air  it  hurried,  shooting 
like  lightning  across  the  sky. 

"It  is  an  evil  spirit ;"  said  the  people.  "It  is  a 
wicked  manito  ! "  And  they  fled  from  it  and  hid 
themselves  in  great  caves. 

Up  and  down  the  earth  for  many  years  it  wan 
dered,  seeking  rest.  Often  it  looked  up  toward  the 
place  from  which  it  had  fallen,  and  saw  its  sister 
stars  shining  in  the  deep  blue  above. 

But  never  again  could  it  return  to  its  sister  stars 
or  climb  back  to  its  old  home  in  the  sky. 

Lonely  and  sad  at  heart,  the  star  wandered  from 
tribe  to  tribe  among  the  people. 

"  I  am  lonely  here,"  the  star  would  say.  But  the 
people  did  not  understand,  and  fled  from  it  to  hide 
beneath  the  shelter  of  their  wigwams. 


S3 


34  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

Sometimes  the  star  would  wander  up  and  down 
the  valleys  ;  sometimes  it  would  hang  above  the  tiny 
lakes  of  water;  sometimes  it  would  stand  outside 
the  camp  fires  where  the  people  lay  asleep. 

But  no  man  would  speak  one  word  of  cheer,  one 
word  of  welcome ;  and  the  beautiful  star  was  deso 
late. 

At  last  there  came  to  dwell  among  the  people  a 
little  maiden  with  large  brown  eyes  that  looked  far 
away  into  the  distance  ;  and  in  them  was  a  light  that 
no  man  understood.  Wonderful  dreams  came  to  the 
maiden,  and  visions  more  wonderful  than  she  could 
tell. 

And  when  this  little  maiden  saw  the  star  she 
reached  her  hands  out  towards  it,  and  said  uMy 
beautiful  shining  star !" 

Then  the  star  danced  for  joy,  glad  that  at  last  a 
soul  was  born  that  knew  that  it  was  lonely.  And  it 
came  toward  the  child,  growing  brighter  and  brighter, 
and  dancing  higher  and  higher. 

"It  is  strange,"  the  people  said;  and  they  named 
the  child  Wandering  Star.  Now  the  star  and  the 
child  loved  each  other,  and  never  again  was  there 


WILL-0'    THE-WISP. 


35 


THEN  A  GREAT  GUST  OF  WIND   CAUGHT    UP  THE   SINKING  MAIDEN  AND  CAE- 
BIED   HER  AWAY." 


36  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

loneliness  in  the  heart  of  either.  Every  night  when 
the  child  looked  out  from  her  wigwam,  she  saw  the 
star  and  whispered  loving  words  to  it;  and  the  star 
watched  over  the  maiden  while  she  slept. 

But  one  day  the  child  wandered  out  into  the  world ; 
across  the  fields,  up  the  valley,  down  into  the  treach 
erous  morasses  she  wandered.  Then  darkness  fell ; 
the  clouds  shut  out  the  light  of  the  moon,  and  the 
frightened  child  sank  in  the  green  slime. 

Then  a  great  wind  arose.  The  clouds  hurried  and 
scurried  across  the  sky ;  the  lightning  flashed  ;  the 
thunder  rolled ;  a  great  gust  of  wind  swept  down 
the  valley,  caught  up  the  sinking  maiden  and  carried 
her  away,  no  man  knew  where. 

All  summer  long  the  people  searched  for  the  child; 
but  no  one  could  guide  them  to  her.  The  trees 
sobbed  and  the  bulrushes  sighed  as  the  winds  swept 
by ;  but  they  could  not  help  the  people  who  searched 
the  hills  and  dales. 

Then  the  Wandering  Star  descended  into  the 
marshy  place  where  the  maiden  had  last  been  seen. 
Close  down  among  the  sedges  it  made  its  home,  and 
there  it  brooded  sadly  over  the  little  child. 


WILL-O'    THE-WISP.  37 

Never  again  was  it  seen  on  the  hilltops,  or  among 
the  camp  fires;  and  no  longer  did  it  wander  up  and 
down  the  valleys.  But  every  summer,  when  the 
hunters  went  forth  to  hunt,  they  found  the  faith 
ful  star,  still  shining,  still  brooding  over  the  place 
where  last  the  child  had  stood — the  child  who 
had  loved  the  star,  and  had  stretched  its  hands  out 
toward  it,  and  had  called  it  "My  beautiful  shining 
star." 


THE  AURORA,  THE  WHITE  ARCH,  AND 
THE  GREAT  BEAR. 

When  the  days  are  short  and  the  nights  are  long ; 
when  the  sun  creeps  southward  and  for  six  long 
moons  hovers  over  the  land  where  the  South  Wind 
dwells ;  when  the  air  is  cold  and  the  sun  lies  glisten 
ing  on  the  ground,  then  the  little  Red  Children  look 
up  into  the  sky  and  see  the  great  arch  of  white 
stretching  across  the  blue  heavens. 

And  in  the  North  the  red  flames  leap  flashing  like 
fires  across  the  sky. 

"These  red  flames,"  the  old  chiefs  say,  uare  the 
spirits  of  brave  warriors  who  have  long  since  gone 
to  the  happy  hunting  grounds. 

"Their  arrows  and  their  bows  they  carry  with 
them.  The  souls,  too,  of  their  dogs  have  joined 
their  masters  in  this  land  beyond  the  setting  sun. 

"  There  game  is  plenty ;  and  all  day  long  the  war 
rior  hunts  and  carries  war  into  the  homes  of  the  foe. 
Ever  successful  in  war  is  he ;  and  on  winter  nights 
he  dances  the  war  dance ;  he  chants  and  shouts ;  he 


38 


THE  AURORA,  THE  WHITE  ARCH,  AND  THE  GREAT  BEAR.  39 

waves  his  war  club.  It  is  his  plumes  of  red  and 
white  that  we  see,  waving  and  flashing  in  the  north 
ern  sky. 

"And  the  white  arch?  That  is  the  pathway  of  the 
spirits.  Up  and  down  this  pathway,  from  earth  to 
heaven,  they  pass.  There  are  more  of  them  than 
man  can  count ;  and  their  shadows  make  the  line 
of  white  which  every  night  we  see  stretching  like  a 
mist  across  the  sky.'7 

Then  there  is  the  moon  swinging  high  in  the 
heavens.  A  strange  moon  it  is  to  the  Ked  Children ; 
for  never  is  it  the  same.  Some  times  they  see  it 
a  great  beautiful  ball  of  white ;  then  again,  as  it 
lifts  its  face  above  the  eastern  hills,  it  is  rich  and 
golden,  like  the  warm  color  of  the  autumn  flowers. 

But  strangest  of  all,  it  changes  its  shape  from 
disk  to  crescent  and  from  crescent  to  disk.  Each 
night  as  it  rises,  the  Red  Children  see  that  the  disk 
grows  smaller,  till  by  and  by  they  see  no  disk  at  all. 
Then  again  it  comes,  a  tiny  crescent  in  the  west,  but 
growing  each  night  larger  and  larger. 

"It  is  very  strange,"  the  Red  Children  used  to  say, 
and  they  wondered  and  wondered. 


40 


LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 


FOB  TO  THE  DRAGONS  THE  MOON  IS  SWEET." 


THE  AURORA,  THE  WHITE  ARCH,  AND  THE  GREAT  BEAR.  41 

But  one  night  a  wise  chief  had  a  dream;  and  in 
the  dream  a  voice  said,  "  Wonder  no  more  why  the 
moon  thus  changes  shape ;  for  know  now,  and  tell  the 
people,  that  they  too  may  know,  that  it  is  because 
of  the  great  dragons  that  dwell  in  the  four  corners 
of  the  earth.  Out  from  their  homes  they  come  ;  and 
it  is  upon  the  moon  they  feed,  even  as  worms  feed 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  trees. 

uFor  to  the  dragons,  the  moon  is  sweet ;  it  gives 
them  strength  and  long  life ;  it  makes  their  scales  to 
shine  and  glitter  even  as  the  moonlight  glitters  upon 
the  Big  Sea  Water. 

"  But  the  moon  still  grows,  on  and  on.  Though 
there  were  dragons  dwelling  in  the  sun  and  upon 
every  star ;  and  though  they  should  come  one  and 
all  to  feed  upon  the  great  disk  of  silver  light,  still 
would  it  never  fail. 

"For  the  moon  is  in  the  keeping  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  and  it  is  set  in  the  heavens  to  light  the  Eed 
Children  on  their  way  through  the  forests  at  night. 
It  is  to  give  them  time  as  well ;  for  the  Red  children 
may  watch  its  coming  and  its  going;  then  when  they 
count  their  days,  they  shall  say,  lten  moons  ago,'  or 


LEGENDS   OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 


1  ten  moons  to  come  ;'  for  in  this  way  each  Eed  Man 
shall  know  the  time  that  another  has  in  mind." 

The  stars,  too,  of  the  heavens  are  wonderful  to  the 
Red  Children;  for  among  them  they  see  birds  and 
animals  and  trees. 

In  the  North  is  one  group  of  stars  which  to  them 
looks  like  a  great  bear. 

And  that  it  is  a  great  bear,  they  are  quite  sure ; 
for  long  long  ago  a  great  chief  who  knew  all  things 
told  them  this  story: 


"A   GREAT  WHITE   BEAR   SPRANG   OUT   FROM  THE  FOREST." 

u  Once  when  the  Red  Men  were  out  upon  a  chase, 
a  great  white  bear  sprang  out  from  the  forests;  and 
had  they  not  driven  their  arrows  at  him,  he  would 
have  slain  them  all,  so  large  was  he  and  fierce. 


THE  AURORA,  THE  WHITE  ARCH,  AND  THE  GREAT  BEAR.  43 

44  But  when  he  saw  the  arrows,  he  turned  and  fled. 
The  Eed  Men  followed.  For  two  whole  moons  they 
followed,  resting  neither  day  nor  night.  But  how 
ever  fast  they  sped,  the  great  white  bear  sped  still 
faster. 

"On,  on  they  flew  towards  the  icy  north  where  the 
white  bear  lived.  But  a  great  giant  came  now  upon 
them,  and  a  terrible  battle  followed.  The  Red  Men 
fought  like  warriors  brave ;  till  all  but  three  fell 
beneath  the  giant's  strength. 

44  Then  these  three  cried  to  the  manitos  to  save 
them.  The  manitos  heard  their  cry;  and  they 
gathered  them  up  in  their  strong  arms — the  three 
warriors  and  the  bear  with  them — and  placed  them 
in  the  northern  sky. 

"There  they  dwell  even  to  this  day;  and  you  may 
see  them  every  night  the  whole  year  long,  the  three 
brave  warriors  still  following  close  upon  the  path  of 
the  great  white  bear." 

And  these  simple-hearted  Red  Children  love  the 
skies ;  they  love  the  rain  and  the  snows,  the  thunder 
and  the  lightning,  the  warm  sun  and  the  soft  light 
of  the  moon.  For  all  these  bring  comfort  to  the 


44  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

earth  and  to  the  people.  And  they  pray  to  the  man- 
itos  of  all  these  good  powers,  and  they  sing  songs  to 
them,  beautiful  and  wild  and  free. 

0  white  floating  Clouds !  clouds  like  the  plains 
come  and  water  the  earth!  0  Sun,  smile  down  upon 
the  earth  and  bring  forth  the  corn,  the  grasses  and 
the  flowers ! 

0  Moon,  0  Lion  of  the  north,  Bear  of  the  west, 
Badger  of  the  south,  and  Wolf  of  the  east !  Elder 
war-hero,  younger  war-hero,  warriors  of  the  six 
mountains  of  the  world,  intercede  with  the  cloud 
people  for  us  that  they  may  water  the  earth.  Medi 
cine-bowl,  cloud-bowl,  and  water-vase,  give  us  your 
hearts  that  the  earth  may  be  watered.  White  Shell 
Bead  Woman  who  dwells  where  the  sun  goes  down ; 
Mother  Whirlwind,  Father  Sus-sis-tin-naks,  Mother 
Ya-ya,  creator  of  good  thoughts,  Yellow  Woman  of 
the  North,  Blue  Woman  of  the  West,  Red  Woman 
of  the  South,  White  Woman  of  the  East,  hear  us, 
hear  us,  and  intercede  for  us  with  the  cloud  people  ! 


THE  EAIKBOW. 

When  the  good  Great  Spirit  had  made  the  world 
and  had  put  into  it  everything  that  man  could  need ; 
had  made  the  animals  to  serve  him  and  had  bidden 
the  trees  and  vines  to  bear  fruits  for  food,  then  he 
said :  u  Now  will  I  make  flowers  for  all  these  grow 
ing  plants ;  and  the  flowers  shall  be  rich  and  beau 
tiful  in  color. 

"  The  Red  Children  shall  love  these  bright-colored 
flowers,  for  they  shall  give  a  glory  unto  the  fields 
and  the  hill-sides.7' 

So  the  Great  Spirit  covered  the  fields  with  purple 
asters  and  goldenrod ;  with  dandelions  and  daisies. 
By  the  river-side  and  in  the  cool  forests  were  the 
sweet  violets,  the  anemones,  and  the  columbines;  and 
even  the  bare  rocks  he  covered  with  the  fluffy  saxi 
frage  and  the  white  blossoms  of  the  raspberry  and| 
the  blackberry  vine. 

All  the  long,  beautiful  summer  these  flowers  made 
the  air  sweet  with  their  perfume,  and  the  Red  Child- 


45 


46  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

ren  were  content.  When  Autumn  came,  new  flowers 
came ;  great,  gorgeous  flowers  of  red  and  orange,  so 
that  the  fields  were  a  great  blaze  of  glory. 

Nor  was  this  all;  the  very  trees  themselves  changed 
their  sober  green  to  colors  that  were  more  gorgeous 
even  than  the  flowers  of  the  field. 

The  Red  Children  gazed  in  awe  and  wonder  at 
the  beauty  spread  out  before  them.  They  thanked 
the  good  Great  Spirit,  and  when  the  harvest  moon 
had  come,  they  held  a  feast  to  show  their  gratitude. 

But  one  morning  a  change  came  over  this  beauty. 
The  North  Wind  breathed  upon  the  flowers  and  the 
trees,  and  they  drooped  and  faded. 

U0  Great  Spirit,"  the  Red  Children  cried,  "behold 
what  the  North  Wind's  breath  has  done  to  the  fields 
and  the  forest/' 

Then  the  South  Wind  came  again ;  the  air  was 
filled  with  a  hazy,  yellow  light ;  the  flowers  still  hung 
their  heads ;  but  there  was  a  tender  warmth  in  the 
air,  and  the  Great  Spirit  said,  "This  is  the  Red  Child 


ren's  summer." 


Then  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  fell  upon  the  earth ; 
the  clouds  and  the  sun  struggled  together ;  the  strong 


THE    RAINBOW. 


47 


THERE.    STRETCHING   FROM   NORTH   TO   SOUTH,    SWEPT   A   GKEAT   ARCH." 


48  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

South  Wind  blew,  and  the  leaves  fell  from  the  trees ; 
then  the  wind  and  the  rain  gave  way ;  the  sun  shone 
out ;  and,  to  the  leaves  and  the  flowers,  what  a  won 
derful  change  had  come!  For  when  the  Great  Spirit 
saw  them  fading  and  falling  he  said,  u  They  are  too 
beautiful  to  be  lost." 

And  when  the  Red  Children  grieved  to  see  them 
fade,  he  said,  u  You  shall  not  lose  them ;  for  I  will 
gather  them  together ;  the  bright  green  of  the  grasses, 
the  red  and  orange  of  the  leaves,  the  purple,  the 
pink,  the  blue  and  the  yellow  of  all  the  flowers,  and 
I  will  set  them  in  the  sky." 

Then  the  Red  Children  looked  towards  the  east ; 
and  there,  stretching  from  north  to  south,  swept  a 
great  arch ;  and  in  it  were  the  bright  green  of  the 
grasses,  the  red  and  the  orange  of  the  leaves,  and 
the  purple,  the  pink,  the  blue,  and  the  yellow  of  all 
the  flowers,  even  as  the  Great  Spirit  had  said ! 

And  now  when  the  Red  Children  look  up  and  see 
the  bow  of  many  colors  stretching  its  beautiful 
length  across  the  sky,  the  old  chief  tells  them  this 
story  of  so  long  ago.  He  bids  them  love  the  beauty 
of  the  arch ;  and  he  bids  them  thank  the  Great  Spirit 


THE   RAINBOW.  49 

who  gathered  the  colors  together  that  they  might  not 

be  lost.     "For,"  he  says, 

" l  Tis  the  heaven  of  flowers  you  see  there ; 
All  the  wild  flowers  of  the  forest, 
All  the  lilies  of  the  prairie, 
When  on  earth  they  fade  and  perish, 
Blossom  in  that  heaven  above  us, 
Make  the  heaven  of  flowers  you  see  there '? 


THE  KAIN  AND  THE  SNOW. 

U0  Mu-in-wa,  Muninwa!"  the  flowers  and  the 
grasses  cried,  "  give  us  water,  lest  we  die ! " 

And  good  Muinwa  looking  down  upon  the  earth, 
saw  the  flowers  drooping  their  heads ;  the  grasses 
were  turning  brown,  and  even  the  leaves  of  the  trees 
hung  lifeless. 

"Big  Sea  Water,"  cried  Muinwa,  "send  up  your 
waters  upon  the  dry  earth,  and  save  the  flowers  and 
the  trees  and  the  grasses." 

And  the  Big  Sea  Water  tried ;  but  it  could  only 
send  its  waters  a  little  way  up,  when  back  it  poured, 
and  the  trees  and  the  flowers  had  no  help. 

Then  Muinwa  cried  to  the  rivers,  "  Send  up  your 
waters  upon  the  dry  earth,  and  save  the  flowers  and 
the  trees  and  the  grasses." 

And  the  rivers  tried ;  they  seethed  and  foamed  and 
overflowed  their  banks ;  but  soon  the  waters  sank 
again,  and  only  the  grasses  near  the  banks  had  lifted 
their  heads. 


60 


THE    RAIN    AND    THE   SNOW. 


51 


Then  Muinwa  cried  to  the  lakes,  U0  Lakes,  send 
up  your  waters  upon  the  dry  earth,  and  save  the 
flowers,  the  trees,  and  the  grasses." 

And  the  lakes  tried  ;  they  too  seethed  and  foamed. 
The  waters  splashed  and  broke  upon  the  shores  like 


"  'LET  us  TRY,'  SAID  THE  WILD  SEA-GULLS." 

waves  of  the  Big  Sea  Water;  the  winds  rose,  and 
the  mist  was  blown  out  across  the  fields,  but  it  was 
only  for  a  little  way ;  then  the  waters  sank  back,  and 
the  trees,  the  flowers,  and  the  grasses  were  left 
parched  and  dry  again. 

"Let  us  try/7  said  the  wild  sea-gulls.  So  they 
dipped  their  wings  in  the  Big  Sea  Water,  and 
flew  out  over  the  fields,  scattering  the  waterdrops 
upon  the  flowers  and  the  cornfields ;  but  it  was  very 
Jittle  they  could  do  over  the  great,  wide  earth. 


52  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

But  Muinwa  said,  "  You  have  taught  me  a  way  to 
save  the  flowers  and  the  trees  and  the  grasses,  0 
good  sea-gulls  !  I  will  gather  feathers  from  all  the 
birds  of  the  land ;  and  I  will  make  a  great  wing  that 
shall  stretch  from  sea  to  sea  and  from  sky  to  sky. 

"This  will  I  dip  in  the  waters  of  the  lakes,  and 
shake  them  down  upon  the  earth  as  you  have  shaken 
your  wings  across  the  cornfields." 

So  Muinwa  called  together  all  the  birds  from  all 
the  forests.  "  Give  me  of  your  feathers,  0  birds  both 
great  and  small/'  he  said,  "that  I  may  make  a  great 
wing  with  which  to  sprinkle  the  earth  and  save  the 
flowers  and  trees  and  grasses.  So  may  they  live  on 
forever,  and  send  forth  each  year  new  beauty  on  the 
earth." 

Then  all  the  birds  -  sang,  and  the  skies  rang  with 
their  glad  songs  ;  for  the  birds  loved  the  summer  that 
brings  the  flowers  and  the  trees  and  the  grasses,  and 
were  glad, to  help  the  good  Muinwa. 

So  it  was,  Muinwa  made  the  great  wing  that  holds 
the  waters ;  and  when  the  flowers  droop,  he  waves  it 
. across  the  land,  and  the  raindrops  fall  upon  the 
thirsty  flowers  and  trees  and  grasses. 


THE  PIKE  TREES. 

On  the  shores  of  a  beautiful  lake  stand  three  tall 
pine  trees. 

All  the  day  long  and  all  the  night 
long  their  branches  wave  and  whis 
per  and  sigh,  each  to  the  other.  And 
sometimes  in  the  stillness  of  the  deep 
night,  the  Red  Children  say,  these 
trees  have  been  known  to  sob;  and 
when  the  winds  are  strong,  moans, 
are  heard,  mingled  with  the  rushing 
of  the  winds. 

For  there  are  spirits  in  these  trees 
— the  spirits  of  three  chiefs,  who,  long, 
long  ago,  ruled  over  their  tribes  and 
carried  on  war  with  one  another 

Now  these  three  chiefs,  though  each 
in  his  own  way  was  strong  and  power 
ful,  longed  for  greater  strength  and 
greater  power.     Each  longed  to  surpass  the  others. 

53 


THE  TALLEST  CHIEF 
IN  ALL  THE  EARTH. 


54  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

So  together  the  three  went  to  the  home  of  Gloos- 
kap  the  manito. 

"0  Gloo-skap,"  said  the  first  of  the  three  chiefs, 
"  make  me  tall.  Make  me  the  tallest  chief  in  all  the 
earth.  Then  I  shall  have  power  over  all  Eed  Men, 
and  they  shall  admire  and  fear  me." 

Glooskap  looked  down  at  the  chief  and  smiled  a 
scornful  smile.  Already  the  chief  had  made  thick 
soles  for  his  moccasins  and  had  filled"  them  with  fur 
and  the  bark  of  the  trees. 

Besides  this,  he  had  pulled  his  long  hair  high 
above  his  head,  and  had  built  it  up  with  sticks  and 
feathers  to  make  himself  seem  tall. 

"You  shall  have  your  wish,"  said  Glooskap. 

Then  the  second  chief  spoke.  "  Let  me,"  said  he, 
"  live,  forever  upon  this  earth." 

"It  shall  be  as  you  wish,"  Glooskap  answered. 

Then  the  third  chief  said,  "  Not  forever  would  I 
live  but  let  me  live  to  an  exceeding  old  age ;  and 
give  me  perfect  health  with  which  to  enjoy  my  long 
life." 

"Foolish  ones,"  said  Glooskap,  "know  you  not 
that  a  brave  death  and  a  return  to  the  happy  hunt- 


THE    PINE   TREES.  55 

ing  grounds  is  better  than  long  life  upon  this  earth  ? 
Still,  you  shall  have  your  wishes — all  of  you." 

Then  Glooskap  raised  his  hand  ;  and,  behold,  the 
three  chiefs  were  changed  in  a  twinkling. 

One,  to  a  tall  pine  tree — the  tallest  on  the  lake 
shore — with  a  tassel  waving  proudly  over  him. 

The  other  two  were  changed  to  pine  trees  also ;  for 
thus  the  one  could  live  on  forever,  and  the  other  could 
have  his  perfect  health  with  which  to  enjoy  his  long  life. 

And  so  the  three  trees  still  stand  upon  the  lake, 
and  the  long  years  roll  by ;  the  one  taller  than  all 
the  rest — the  other  two  sturdy  and  strong,  looking 
down  for  centuries  upon  the  tribes  that  come  and  go. 

And  are  they  happy  ?  Are  they  content  ?  No  one 
can  tell ;  for  they  speak  not,  though  they  sigh  all  day 
long,  and  even  groan  when  the  storms  beat  upon  them. 

It  would  seem  almost  as  if  their  hearts  were  sad, 
a  id  that  they  had  learned  that  their  own  simple, 
n  ^-ural  life  would  have  been  best.  Still,  the  Eed 
Children  cannot  tell. 

It  may  be  that  what  we  call  sighs  and  groans  are 
*but  the  language  of  the  trees — the  way  in  which 
they  talk  together.  We  do  not  know. 


THE    LILT-STAR. 

Once  the  world  was  filled  with  happy  people. 
Game  was  plenty  in  the  forests,  and  nowhere  was 
there  drought  or  famine.  People  were  well  and 
strong  and  happy.  All  the  tribes  were  at  peace. 
The  beasts  of  the  field  had  no  fear  of  man,  nor  had 
man  any  fear  of  them. 

The  trees  yielded  richest  fruit,  and  the  bushes 
bent  low  beneath  their  loads  of  berries.  And  there 
was  no  cold,  for  the  spring  was  everywhere ;  and  all 
the  long  year  the  flowers  carpeted  the  earth,  the 
birds,  beautiful  of  plumage,  flew  from  tree  to  tree, 
singing  their  wild,  happy  songs,  and  turning  their 
bright  plumage  in  the  sunlight. 

And  the  simple-hearted  people  dwelt  in  the  for 
ests  and  on  the  -sunny  hillsides.  They  loved  the 
great,  warm  sun,  and  at  night  they  watched  the 
bright  stars  shining  down  upon  them ;  for  to  these 
stars  some  time  they  would  be  carried  by  the  good 
manitos  who  watch  over  the  wigwams  of  the  dying. 

But  one  night  they  saw  a  bright  star  fall.     Down, 

56 


THE   LILY-STAR. 


5? 


yp 


.''i':-.rr'.i".y<..    ...  J          i •'    *     iii'iiiiiiliJU,1/^    -^T'    v-.     x     - 

•w-   iiip^-^ 


>«nv:-r 


AND   THE   CHILDREN   CAME   IN   THEIR   TINY   CANOES.' 


58  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

down,  down,  through  the  heavens  it  fell,  till  it  came 
and  stood  at  the  foot  of  a  great  mountain. 

Then  the  people  went  forth  to  meet  the  star, 
and  the  star  said :  "  I  have  come,  0  good  people, 
down  to  dwell  with  you ;  for  you  are  good  and 
happy  and  your  world  is  beautiful.  Tell  me,  then, 
where  I  may  make  my  dwelling  place,  that  I  may 
watch  your  wise  men  and  your  children  at  .their 
play ;  for  I  love  you  well,  and  I  long  to  dwell  among 
you." 

Then  one  chief  said,  "Dwell  here  in  this  mountain, 
high  up  among  the  crags ;  for  there  you  can  overlook 
the  plain ;  the  clouds  will  stoop  to  kiss  the  mountain 
top,  and  each  morning  you  may  greet  the  rising  sun." 

"Dwell  upon  the  sunny  hillside,"  said  another; 
"for  there  the  sun  loves  to  linger,  and  the  flowers 
are  everywhere." 

"Dwell  in  the  forests,"  said  another;  "for  there 
the  cool  shadows  lie,  and  the  air  is  heavy  with  per 
fume  of  the  pine  and  spruce." 

But  the  mountain  tops  are  so  far  away!  The  star 
could  not  see  the  little  children  at  their  play ;  and  it 
loved  the  children  best  of  all.  The  hillside,  too,  was 


THE    LILY-STAR.  59 

distant ;  and  the  star  felt  lonely  when  the  sun  was 
gone.  And  the  forest,  to  the  star  that  loved  the  heat 
and  warmth  and  light,  seemed  only  dark  and  cold. 

But  one  day  the  star  came  and  hung  above  the 
lake.  The  water  was  soft  and  warm ;  it  rippled  and 
danced  and  sang.  All  day  the  sunlight  sparkled  on 
its  surface,  and  at  night  the  stars  shone  down  upon 
it.  Upon  the  banks  of  the  laka  the  Eed  Children 
played,  and  the  men  pushed  their  canoes  across  it. 

"Here,"  said  the  star,  "will  I  dwell,  for  I  love  the 
Red  Children,  and  the  canoes  are  like  the  stars  that 
shoot  across  the  sky." 

And  so  it  was  that  when  the  sun  had  set,  the  star 
came  down  and  alighted  on  the  lake,  and  away  down 
beneath  the  waters  it  sent  its  rays.  The  Red  Child 
ren  say  the  rays  took  root,  for  when  the  morning 
came,  there  lay  a  beautiful  water-lily  upon  the  lake. 
Its  petals  were  pure  and  white,  its  heart  was  golden 
like  the  star,  and  with  its  fragrance  it  called  to  the 
children. 

And  the  children  came  in  their  tiny  canoes,  for 
they  loved  the  sweet  lily  better  than  all  the  flowers 
of  the  fields. 


LEGENDS  OF  THE  WINDS. 

"  Tell  us,"  the  Eed  Children  ask,  "  whence  comes 
the  Wind?  See  how  it  fans  the  fire  and  makes  the 
trees  to  bend  !  How  it  sways  the  grasses  and  the 
grains !  Even  the  clouds  and  the  waters  of  the 
great  ocean  obey  its  will. 

"  Still,  no  man  has  ever  seen  it ;  nor  can  he  ever, 
though  he  watch  from  the  mountain  tops  till  twelve 
moons  go  by ;  and  though  he  watch  upon  the  great 
plains  where  he  may  see  the  heavens  on  every  side.'7 

Then  the  wise  chief  says,  "Listen,  little  Eed 
Children,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  mystery  of  the 
Wind  as  it  is  known  to  us,  and  as  it  was  told  to  our 
tribes  many  moons  ago.  For  in  those  days,  when 
the  Great  Spirit  spoke  with  the  Red  Men  here  upon 
the  earth,  he  bade  us  listen  while  he  revealed  to  us 
the  wonders  of  the  heavens. 

"And  of  the  Wind,  the  Great  Spirit  said:  'Away 
in  the  North,  where  no  man  yet  has  ventured,  nor 
will  ever  venture  in  all  the  moons  to  come,  lest  he 

60 


LEGENDS    OF    THE    WINDS.  6l 

perish  ;  away  in  the  North,  where  the  sky  is  cold  and 
the  clouds  are  black ;  where  the  fields  are  covered 
with  snow  and  ice  that  never  melt ;  where  no  corn 
grows,  and  the  birds  sing  not ;  there  in  that  unknown 
land  dwells  the  great  Wind  giant  Kra-es-vel-gnr. 
Upon  a  mountain  peak  he  sits,  clad  in  a  robe  of 
eagle  feathers. 

utAnd  so  broad  is  his  robe  and  so  strong  are  the 
feathers  that  when  he  raises  them  the  whole  earth 
is  put  in  motion.  The  whole  earth  and  all  that 
grows  or  dwells  upon  it ;  for  it  is  beneath  these  great 
wings  that  the  wind  sleeps ;  and  the  great  giant,  sit 
ting  upon  the  edge  of  the  heavens,  looks  down  upon 
the  waters  and  the  fields  and  says  which  wind  shall 
blow  and  when.' ' 

"  But  the  rain  and  the  snow,  0  chief !  Tell  us,  do 
they,  too,  dwell  in  the  North  ?  " 

"It  is  E-tok-ah — Etokah  and  We-ze-at-tah  my 
children — who  make  the  rain  and  the  snow,  the 
warmth  and  the  cold. 

"For  Etokah  is  the  spirit  of  the  South.  He  it  is 
who  holds  in  his  great  hand  the  warmth  that  brings 
the  summer  and  makes  the  grains  to  grow. 


62  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

"He  comes  with  a  great  rush  of  wind  and  rain. 
In  his  hand  he  bears  a  war  club,  and  when  he  strikes 
the  heavens,  lo !  the  lightnings  flash  and  terrible 
thunders  roll. 

"With  him  come  the  crow  and  the  plover;  for 
each  rests  upon  a  shoulder  of  the  giant  when  he- 
stalks  forth  upon  the  land. 

"  More  terrible  is  Wezeattah,  the  spirit  of  the  cold. 
He  drives  before  him  the  chill  blast  of  the  North, 
and  scatters  the  snowflakes  over  sea  and  land. 
With  him  comes  the  howling  wolf,  whose  teeth  shine 
and  whose  eyes  glitter  like  the  sun.  Armed,  too,  is 
Wezeattah,  for  he  brings  war  against  Etokah  and 
strives  to  drive  him  from  the  earth. 

"These  spirits — the  strong  Etokah  and  the  fierce 
Wezeattah — come  forth  from  the  corners  of  the 
heavens;  and  when  they  meet,  then  the  clouds  fly 
like  weak  warriors  before  a  mighty  foe.  The  great 
drops  of  rain  pour  their  floods  down  the  mountain 
side ;  or  the  flying  snow  fills  the  air  and  covers  the 
plains  and  rivers.  The  thunders  roll,  the  lightnings 
flash  across  the  sky,  smiting  the  great  trees  and 
blackening  the  growing  roots.  Or,  the  north  wind 


LEGENDS   OF   THE   WINDS. 


WEZEATTAH  BRINGS  WAB  AGAINST  ETOKAH. 


64  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

shrieks  and  howls,  and,  rushing  like  an  evil  manito 
across  the  plains,  enters  the  forest  and  snaps  the  tall 
tree-trunks  and  throws  them  across  the  trail. 

uSo  these  two  battle  against  each  other;  and 
when  they  cease,  then  the  skies  grow  blue  again  and 
the  sun  shines  down  upon  the  earth. 

"Then  Aminiki  the  storm  god  calls  them  to  him. 
His  wings  are  black,  and  when  he  spreads  them  over 
the  skies,  the  sun  itself  is  hidden  and  the  stars  shine 
not.  And  to  Etokah  and  Wezeattah  he  gives  judg 
ment,  saying,  *  Go  now,  Etokah,'  or l  Go  now,  Wezeat 
tah,  back  to  your  home  in  the  corner  of  the  sky. 
Bravely  you  made  battle ;  but  it  is  not  for  you  to 
always  win.  For  six  moons  now  shall  you  keep 
within  the  great  walls  of  your  lodge.  Come  forth, 
then,  again ;  and  again  shall  you  battle,  and  to  him 
that  shall  win  shall  be  given  the  rivers  and  the  lakes, 
the  fields  and  the  hillsides. 

"  'And  if,  Etokah,  it  is  you  that  win,  then  shall  you 
scatter  your  flowers  up  and  down  the  land,  and  lift 
the  ice  that  imprisons  lake  and  river. 

"  'Likewise  to  you,  Wezeattah,  if  you  win,  shall  be 
given  the  land  and  the  waters.  You  shall  scatter 


LEGENDS   OF   THE   WINDS.  65 

the  sparkling  snow  till  no  flowers  nor  grains  nor 
grasses  shall  be  seen  from  sky  to  sky.  And  the 
people  shall  build  great  fires  and  hide  themselves 
within  their  wigwams,  saying:  It  is  Wezeattah  that 
has  come !  Wezeattah,  the  ruler  of  the  cold ! 
Wezeattah,  the  strong,  white  god  of  the  North !' ' 


HOW  THE  SPRING  COMES. 

Old  Winter  sat  alone  in  his  little  hut  beside  a 
frozen  river.  All  across  the  plain,  and  up  the 
mountain  side,  the  snow  lay  cold  and  still.  The 
winds  howled  and  shrieked,  the  flowers  and  grasses 
hid  themselves  in  the  soft  earth,  and  even  the  great, 
warm  sun  crept  away  toward  the  southern  sky. 

But  one  morning  a  gentle  step  was  heard  upon  the 
snow;  there  was  a  soft  perfume  in  the  air.  The 
Winter  opened  the  door  of  his  dismal  hut,  and  said : 
"Ah,  it  is  you,  sweet  Springtime.  Welcome  will 
your  voice  be  in  the  ears  of  the  Red  Children.  But 
come  in,  and  let  us  talk  together,  for  soon  shall  I  go 
to  my  home  in  the  northward ;  to  my  home  where  all 
is  still  and  cold  and  white ;  to  my  home  where  the 
waters  never  sparkle,  where  the  birds  never  sing,  and 
where  no  flowers  peep  through  the  glittering  ice." 

"And  from  my  home  far  away  to  the  southward  I 
have  come  just  now,"  said  the  sweet-voiced  Spring. 
"No  ice  and  snows  are  there,  but  in  their  place  lie 
great  fields  of  soft,  green  grass.  The  skies  and  the 


66 


HOW   THE   SPRING   COMES.  67 

waters  are  blue;  and  when  the  soft  winds  blow,  the 
grasses  and  the  flowers  bend  their  heads  to  listen." 

"Ah,  but  I  have  power,"  said  old  Winter.  "I 
have  power  like  that  of  the  manitos  themselves ! 
For  when  I  blow  my  breath,  the  streams  stand  still, 
the  waters  stiffen  and  grow  hard,  like  stone." 

"I,  too,  have  power,"  answered  the  Spring. 
"  Though  I  call  not  in  a  loud  voice,  though  great 
trees  bend  not  before  me,  yet  when  I  breathe,  the 
flowers  and  tender  grasses  spring  up  on  plain  and 
hillside." 

u  I  shake  my  long,  white  locks,  and  the  cold  snow 
covers  the  land,  the  leaves  drop  from  the  strongest 
trees,  the  birds  fly  far  away  to  the  homes  of  distant 
tribes,  the  animals  wrap  themselves  in  their  warm 
covers  and  hide  in  deep  caves ;  even  the  earth  itself 
grows  hard,  like  rock,  and  hides  from  sight." 

"  I  shake  my  golden  ringlets,  and  sweet-smelling 
showers  fall  upon  the  earth  ;  the  raindrops  glisten 
on  the  grasses,  and  the  hearts  of  the  Red  Children 
are  glad ;  the  singing  birds  come  back  and  fill  the 
forests  with  their  songs,  the  little  brooks  begin  to 
dance,  and  the  whole  earth  sings  for  joy." 


68 


LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 


But  now  the  sun — far  down  in  the  southern  sky 
— had  heard  the  soft  voice  of  Spring  and  had  crept 
uear  to  listen.  Its  warm  rays  fell  straight  upon  old 


THEN  OLD  WINTER'S  VOICE  WAS  STILL. 


Winter's  hut.  A  robin  and  a  bluebird  perched  upon 
the  roof.  The  river  began  to  sparkle  back  its  wel 
come  to  the  sun,  and  the  whole  hut  was  filled  with 
the  odor  of  pleasant  herbs  and  flowers. 


69 

Then  old  Winter's  voice  grew  still.  Water  dripped 
from  his  long,  white  hair ;  a  strange,  gray  color 
spread  over  his  cold,  white  face  ;  smaller  and  smaller, 
shorter  and  shorter  grew  his  form,  and  weaker  and 
weaker  the  power  of  the  old  man's  arm,  till,  when 
the  sun  had  sunk  behind  the  purple  clouds  of 
the  west,  no  sign  of  him  was  left;  but  upon  the 
ground  where  he  had  sat  had  sprung  the  beautiful 
pink  claytonia — that  sweetest,  tenderest  child  of 
Spring. 


HOW  THE  SUMMER  CAME. 

Once,  long,  long  ago,  there  was  no  summer  in  the 
land  of  the  Red  Children,  and  they  had  no  food  but 
the  flesh  of  the  animals  which  they  could  slay. 

Then  all  the  animals  —  the  Otter,  the  Lynx,  the 
Beaver,  the  Badger,  and  the  Wolf  —  held  a  council. 
"We  are  never  safe,"  said  they,  "from  the  arrows  of 
the  Red  Men.  Let  us  go  to  them  and  bid  them  pre 
pare  for  war  with  us,  unless  indeed  they  will  promise 
to  harm  us  no  more." 

uBut  we  must  have  food,"  said  the  Red  Men, 
when  the  animals  had  come  to  them  declaring  war. 

uls  there  no  other  food  that  man  can  eat  ?"  asked 
the  sharp-eyed  Lynx. 

u  There  are  fruits  and  maize,"  said  the  Red  Men  ; 
"but  these  grow  not  in  a  country  where  summer 
never  comes.  Bring  down  warmth  for  us  from  the 
heavens,  and  we  will  promise  then  to  harm  you  no 


more." 


HOW  THE   SUMMER  CAME. 


BUT  WE  MUST  HAVE  FOOD,"  SAID  THE  RED  MEN. 


72  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

"  We  will  try/7  said  the  Otter,  and,  stretching  his 
mouth  back  to  his  ears  so  that  all  his  teeth  showed 
fiercely,  he  made  a  great  leap  up  toward  the  blue 
sky.  Up,  up  he  flew,  like  a  great  bird ;  but  his 
flight  was  short,  for  down  he  came,  head  first,  and 
struck  upon  a  mountain  peak. 

Then  the  Lynx,  crouching  low,  made  a  leap  such 
as  even  Lynx  had  never  made  before ;  for  he  brushed 
the  arch  of  the  sky  with  the  tips  of  his  ears. 

Then  the  Badger  tried  and  the  Beaver,  and  to 
gether  they  cracked  the  sky,  so  that  when  the  Wolf's 
leap  came,  his  head  burst  through,  and  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  beautiful  world  beyond. 

"Now,"  said  a  brave  chief  of  the  Eed  Men,  "I 
will  climb  up  the  walls  of  <  the  skies  and  steal  the 
warmth  that  we  so  need." 

For  three  whole  days  and  three  whole  nights  the 
brave  chief  climbed,  for  he  loved  his  tribe  and 
longed  to  bring  them  warmth,  and  food,  and  comfort. 

And  when  he  had  entered  the  doorway  which  the 
wolf  had  made,  lo !  there  lay  spread  out  before  him 
a  land  of  such  beauty  as  he  had  never  dreamed. 
The  air  was  soft  and  sweet.  Green  grass  stretched 


HOW    THE    SUMMER    CAME.  73 

as  far  as  his  eye  could  reach.  There  were  flowers 
of  colors  brighter  than  the  war-paint  of  greatest 
chiefs. 

And  there  were  beautiful  mocuks,  in  which  were 
birds  whose  songs  were  sweetest  music.  One  bird 
was  there  in  each  mocuk;  for  these  birds  were 
Spring,  and  Summer,  and  Autumn.  And  when  the 
chief  saw  these,  he  opened  wide  their  doors  and 
cried  :  "Fly,  fly,  good  birds  !  and  carry  the  seasons 
down  to  the  Red  Children  below ;  for  they  live  their 
whole  lives — they  and  their  children  after  them — 
and  never  know  of  change  on  tree,  or  sky,  or  earth." 

Then  all  the  birds  flew  out.  Straight  toward  the 
door  they  flew,  but  with  such  noise  and  confusion 
that  the  people  in  the  sunny  world  awoke  and  ran  to 
see  what  strange  thing  had  happened  to  the  birds. 
Already  the  gorgeous-feathered  Autumn  had  flown 
down  through.  Spring,  too,  escaped,  but  left  one 
feather  in  the  grasp  of  the  foremost  of  the  breathless 
pursuers. 

"  Summer  !  Summer !  "  they  cried.  •"  Let  not 
Summer  go  from  us  ! "  But  Summer  was  speeding 
on  close  behind  the  trail  of  Spring.  With  one  great 


74  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

leap,  four  of  the  dwellers  in  the  land  beyond  the  sky 
sprang  forward  and  seized  her  by  the  wing. 

"  Hold  !  hold  ! "  they  cried  ;  but  Summer  struggled 
with  her  great,  strong  beak  and  claws.  Half  way 
through  the  door  was  she,  nor  would  she  yield. 
With  all  their  might  the  four  held  the  bird,  till  at 
last  the  body  parted.  One-half  only  escaped  to  the 
earth  below,  for  the  other  half  was  firm  in  the  grasp 
of  the  angry  men  of  the  Land  Beyond  the  Sky. 

"Now,  who  did  this  ?"  they  thundered,  when  they 
had  placed  the  poor  half  bird  within  the  cage  again. 
Then  they  spied  the  chief  of  the  Red  Men,  and  with 
a  cry  like  the  North  Wind,  and  with  bolts  of  thunder 
and  flashes  of  fire,  they  rushed  upon  him.  Down 
through  the  doorway,  on,  on  across  the  sky  they 
flew. 

"  How  it  lightens  !>"  the  Red  Men  down  upon  the 
earth  cried  ;  and  the  animals  crept,  afraid,  into  the 
dark  caves  of  the  forests  * 

Though  the  Red  Man  sped  like  a  hare  across  the 
sky,  the  angry  people  of  the  upper  world  followed 
with  a  speed  like  the  wind.  All  about  him,  above 
him,  and  below,  the  fiery  arrows  darted,  till  at  last 


HOW   THE    SUMMER    CAME.  75 

one  transfixed  him.  And  to  this  day,  there  he  lies, 
pinned  to  the  sky ;  and  when  the  Red  Children  look 
up  and  see  him  there  among  the  stars,  they  say: 
"  See  !  there  is  the  brave  chief  who  dared  the  people 
of  the  Land  Beyond  the  Sky  and  gave  the  warm 
seasons  to  us  ! " 

And  when  the  beautiful  Summer's  stay  is  brief, 
they  say  :  "  It  is  because  we  have  only  half;  the  other 
half  is  still  in  the  heavens  above.7' 


THE  SUN  A  PBISONER. 

There  was  once  a  little  lad  whose  name  was 
Shooter-of-Birds.  The  little  sister  of  Shooter-of- 
Birds  was  very  proud  of  her  brother's  "name,  for  he 
had  earned  it  when  he  was  a  baby,  swinging  in  his 
hammock  among  the  boughs  of  the  trees. 

Now,  from  the  first  bird  little  Shooter-of-Birds  had 
brought  down  with  his  arrow,  he  had  made  for 
himself  a  wonderful  coat ;  and  most  proud  was  he  of 
its  bright  red  breast  and  its  soft,  brown  back. 

But  one  day  little  Shooter-of-Birds  lay  down  upon 
a  mountain  top  to  rest.  He  was  very  tired,  and  he 
slept  for  hours  and  hours.  When  he  awoke,  there 
stood  the  great  Sun,  shining  straight  down  upon  him, 
hot  and  burning.  Breathless,  little  Shooter-of-Birds 
sprang  to  his  feet.  The  air  was  full  of  the  odor  of 
burning  feathers;  and  already  his  beautiful  coat 
was  dropping  from  his  shoulders,  singed  and 
scorched. 


THE    SUN    A    PRISONER.  77 

"  It  is  you  that  have  done  this,  0  Sun ! "  the  boy 
shouted.  But  the  Sun  took  no  heed,  and  rolled  OK 
across  the  sky. 

uYou  shall  never  rise  again!"  cried  little  Shooter- 
of- Birds ;  and  he  ran  across  the  mountain  side  to  his 
cave  in  the  great  rock. 

"What  can  you  do  ?"  hooted  the  Owl  all  night. 
"You!  you!  you!" 

"Wait!  wait!  wait!"  peeped  the  birds  at  sunset. 
But  angry  little  Shooter-of-Birds  would  not  wait. 

All  night  long  he  worked,  for  he  was  twisting  a 
mighty  cord  with  which  to  ensnare  the  Sun.  Then, 
climbing  high  upon  the  eastern  ridge  of  mountains, 
he  spread  his  coil  and  watched  the  coming  of  the 
Sun. 

Slowly  it  crept  up  above  the  waters,  but,  blinded 
by  its  own  glare,  it  saw  not  the  Shooter-of-Birds, 
whose  coil  was  spread  across  the  skies. 

UA  daring  boy  is  this  Shooter-of-Birds,"  said  the 
mischievous  manitos;  and  they  laughed  to  think 
what  havoc  it  would  make  up  and  down  the  earth  if 
the  Sun  should  never  rise  again.  "  We  will  help  the 
boy,"  they  said.  So  they  held  the  coil,  and  lo  !  the 


78  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

Sun  entered  the  great  circle   and   was   indeed  en 
snared. 

"Never  again  shall  you  scorch  my  coat  of 
feathers ! "  cried  little  Shooter-of-Birds ;  and  he 
fastened  the  cord  to  a  mountain  peak  and  ran  down 
into  the  valley. 

Hours  like  many  days  passed  by,  and  the  Sun 
came  not.  u  It  is  very  strange,"  the  people  said. 

"  Oh,  give  us  back  the  sunlight !"  the  trees  and  the 
flowers  and  the  grasses  cried.  But  the  sunlight  did 
not  come,  and  the  trees  and  the  flowers  and  the 
grasses  withered  and  died. 

By  and  by  coldness  fell  on  all  the  earth,  and  the 
beasts  of  the  fields  and  forests  crept  into  dark  caves, 
crouching  close  together  for  warmth. 

"  This  must  not  be,;;  they  said.  "  Let  us  go  to 
the  Sun  and  beg  that  he  shall  come  again." 

So  together  they  all  set  out ;  but  no  one  of  them, 
save  perhaps  the  Owl  and  the  Wildcat,  could  see  in 
the  darkness.  Then,  too,  they  were  cold  and  starved, 
so  that  by  and  by  the  persevering  Mole  found  him 
self  alone,  and  all  his  comrades  gone  back  to  their 
caves. 


THE   SUN   A   PRISONER. 


79 


For  as  many  hours  as  make  a  month,  the  Mole 
traveled  on  toward  the  place  where  the  Sun  had 
always  risen.  At  last  the  Sun  was  found — the  Sun 
and  the  coil  that  bound  him  to  the  peak. 

"  Only  cut  away  this  cord  of  steel,"  said  the  Sun, 
"  and  gladly  will  I  come  and  bring  again  the  light 
and  warmth." 

"I  will  try,"  said  the  Mole,  ufor  indeed  we  need 
the  light  and  warmth,  and  the  world  is  sad  without 
them." 


"  I  WILL  TRY;  "  SAID  THE  MOLE. 


80  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

So  the.  Mole  crept  nearer  to  the  Sun,  its  heat 
growing  always  more  and  more  intense. 

u  Would  that  I  could  turn  my  head  away,  little 
Mole,"  said  the  Sun;  "but  alas  !  I  cannot,  and  I  fear 
you  cannot  come  so  near." 

u  I  must  try,"  said  the  brave  Mole ;  but  already  its 
hair  was  singed  arid  its  little  back  was  scorched. 
"The  world  needs  the  Sun!  it  must  have  it!"  the 
little  Mole  said  over  and  over  to  himself,  and  so  kept 
his  heart  from  losing  courage. 

At  last  the  strong  coil  was  reached,  and  the  Mole 
set  to  work  upon  it  with  its  sharp,  white  teeth.  For 
ten  long  hours  it  gnawed  and  gnawed ;  and  on  the 
eleventh  the  cord  snapped,  and  the  happy  Sun  sprang 
up  again  into  the  heavens. 

Then  the  animals  crept  forth  again  from  their 
caves,  the  trees  grew  green  again,  the  grasses  waved 
their  heads,  the  flowers  smiled,  and  all  the  earth 
was  full  of  joy  again.  All  but  the  little  Mole! 
for  he,  alas !  blinded  by  the  blazing  Sun,  could  see 
none  of  the  beauty  that  the  light  and  warmth  had 
brought 

He   could    feel   the    soft   breezes,  and   he   could 


THE    SUN    A    PRISONER.  8l 

smell  the  fragrant  flowers ;  but  eyes  he  had  none ; 
and  so  it  is  that  from  that  time  on  the  moles 
dwell  forever  in  their  darkness,  paying  the  pen 
alty  of  the  foolish  anger  of  the  little  Shooter-of- 
Rirds. 


MOKDAMIN,  THE  EED  PLUME. 

Among  the  tribes  of  the  Red  Children,  there  lived 
a  warrior  so  brave  and  kind  that  all  his  people 
loved  him,  even  as  they  loved  the  good  manitos 
that  watch  over  the  wigwams  and  the  cornfields,  to 
keep  them  from  harm. 

Now,  this  brave,  kind  warrior  could  cure  the  sick 
and  heal  the  wounded ;  he  could  take  upon  himself 
the  shape  of  birds  and  fishes,  and  fly  through  the  air 
and  swim  through  the  water. 

But,  most  of  all,  even  more  than  war,  the  warrior 
loved  to  wander  up  and  down  among  the  people  of 
the  tribe,  bringing  them  health  and  happiness  and 
gifts  of  good. 

One  morning,  as  he  walked  through  a  dense 
forest,  into  which  the  sun  could  scarcely  shine,  he 
met  a  little  Red  Plumed  man  as  brave  as  was  he 
himself. 

"  Good  morrow,"  said  the  little  man.  u  You  are 
strong  ;  but  tell  me,  where  does  your  strength  lie  ?  " 


82 


MONDAMIN,    THE   RED    PLUME. 


THEN  THB  BRAVE  WAfiBIOB  AND  THE  TINY   KED  PLUME   WRESTLED. 


84  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

"My  strength,"  answered  the  warrior,  uis  like  the 
strength  of  any  brave  man." 

"  Then  let  us  wrestle ! "  said  the  strange  little 
man,  "for  I,  too,  am  strong.  And  whoever  is  able 
to  throw  the  other,  let  him  cry,  Wa-ge-ne-wa !  Wa- 
ge-ne-wa!  I  have  thrown  you!  I  have  thrown 
you!" 

Then  the  brave  warrior  and  the  tiny  Red  Plume 
wrestled.  For  a  whole  day  they  wrestled,  and  more 
than  once  the  warrior  grew  faint  and  weak ;  but,  as 
the  sun  went  down,  the  wonderful  strength  of  little 
Red  Plume  failed,  and  at  last  the  warrior's  cry, 
" Wa-ge-ne-wa!  Wa-ge-ne-wa!"  rang  through  the 
forest.  But,  as  the  big  brave  stooped  to  help  Red 
Plume  to  his  feet  again,  lo !  a  wonderful  change 
had  come  upon  him !  Arms  and  legs  were  gone,  and 
his  body  had  become  like  a  full,  ripe,  red  ear  of  corn. 
Indeed,  but  for  the  red  plume  still  waving,  the 
warrior  would  have  believed  the  good  manitos  had 
taken  him  away. 

Then  Red  Plume  spoke  :  "Again,  brave  warrior, 
you  bring  a  great  and  goodly  gift  to  your  people. 
For  I  am  Mondamin,  the  friend  of  the  Red  Children ; 


MONDAMIN,  THE  RED  PLUME.  85 

and,  because  you   conquer  me,  then  you  shall  take 
me  to  your  people. 

"  Strip  from  me,  first  of  all,  these  covers  that  hide 
me  from  the  wind  and  storm.  Take  then  my  rich, 
red  kernels  and  scatter  them  up  and  down  beside 
the  river.  Go  then  to  your  home,  and,  when  one 
moon  is  passed,  come  back ;  then  shall  be  given  you 

the  Gift  of  Corn." 

******* 

And  never  do  the  brave  warrior  and  his  people 
forget  the  place  where  the  Corn  first  grew.  Never 
do  they  neglect  the  field  where,  through  rain  and 
sunshine,  Mon-da-min  lies. 

Each  day  they  watch  and  wait  beside  it ;  they 
drive  the  insects  and  the  weeds  and  the  hungry 
birds  from  it ;  they  spread  the  soft,  green  mold 
above  it.  And,  when  at  length  the  tiny  blade  of 
green  breaks  through,  they  sing  and  dance  about  the 
field;  they  chant  and  send  up  thankful  prayers  to 
the  Great  Spirit  for  this  rich  gift,  Mondamin. 

Then,  when  the  Summer  passes,  and  the  golden 
Autumn  comes ;  when  the  corn  stands  tall  and  rich, 
and  full  of  beauty,  then,  from  out  its  shining  robes 


86  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

and  the  long,  soft,  yellow  tresses,  comes  the  voice  of 
the  Corn  calling  to  the  people.  Then  the  people 
gather  in  great  numbers — all  the  tribes  together — to 
the  feast  of  good  Mondamin — the  friend  of  man— 
Mondamin. 


MOUNT  TUTOKA1STULA. 

Away  in  the  valley  of  the  Yosemite  is  a  great 
mountain  whose  sides  are  steep,  even  like  the  walls 
of  a  canon.  At  the  foot  of  this  mountain  was  once 
a  lake,  on  whose  banks  two  Eed  Children  loved 
to  play  the  whole  day  long.  One  evening,  so  tired 
were  they,  and  home  so  far  away,  that  they  lay  down 
upon  a  great  rock  and  went  to  sleep. 

All  night  long  they  slept  and  all  the  next  day ; 
then  the  next  night  and  the  next,  till  many  moons 
had  come  and  gone.  But  all  the  time  they  slept  the 
rock  was  ^isingy  rising,  till,  when  they  woke,  behold, 
its  summit  reached  far  up  among  the  clouds.  There 
the  two  Children  stood,  stretching  their  arms  out 
across  the  cliffs,  and  crying  aloud  for  help. 

The  Sun  and  the  Moon  only  heard  their  cry ;  and 
when  again  they  had  lain  down  upon  the  high 
mountain  to  sleep,  the  Moon  whispered  to  the  rain 
drops  in  the  clouds,  and  bade  them  go  down  and 
tell  the  people  and  the  animals  the  story  of  the  little 
Red  Children  upon  the  mountain. 


87 


88  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

And,  when  the  animals  heard  the  story,  they  assem 
bled  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff  to  plan  some  way  to 
rescue  the  Children. 

"They  saved  me  from  a  fierce  cat,"  said  the 
Mouse.  "Let  me,  then,  try  to  rescue  them."  So  the 
Mouse  tried  to  leap  up  the  mountain  side.  But  alas ! 
it  leaped  only  a  hand-breadth,  and  then  fell  back. 

"  They  freed  me  from  a  snare  the  Eed  Men  had 
set  among  the  corn,"  said  a  Rat.  And  he,  too,  tried 
to  rescue  the  Children,  but  could  leap  only  twc 
hand-breadths. 

"  They  helped  me  once  to  climb  a  tree  when  the 
hunter's  dogs  were  close  upon  me,"  said  a  Raccoon. 
But  he  could  leap  only  a  little  higher  than  the  Rat. 

Then  the  Bear  tried,  the  Lion,  and  the  Buffalo ; 
but  all  failed,  even  as  the  tiny  Mouse  had  failed. 

"They  saved,  once,  my  life,  too,"  said  a  little 
Worm.  "  I  lay  across  their  trail,  for  I  had  wandered 
from  my  home  in  the  tree,  and  had  lost  my  way.  I 
was  very  thirsty,  and  the  earth  seemed  parched  and 
dry.  And  these  children — they  trod  not  upon  me 
with  their  moccasins,  but  raised  me  up  and  laid  me  on 
the  rich,  soft  leaves.  Therefore,  will  I  rescue  them." 


MOUNT   TUTOKANULA 


89 


THERE   THE   LITTLE   CHILDREN   STOOD. 


90  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

So  the  little  Worm  crept  up  the  mountain  side. 
Close,  close  it  clung;  and,  when  one  moon  had 
passed,  it  had  reached  the  top  of  the  great  cliff,  and 
had  guided  the  Children  down  safe  paths  into  the 
valley  below. 

And  so  the  Children  named  the  mountain  Tutoka- 
nula ;  and  it  bears  thus  the  name  of  the  little  Worm, 
even  from  that  day  to  this. 


THE  SNAIL  AND  THE  BEAVER 

Once  there  were  no  men,  no  women,  and  no  little 
children  upon  the  earth ;  but  everywhere  there  were 
birds  and  fishes,  and  in  the  forest  there  were  animals 
of  many  kinds. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Great  River  lived  a  little 
Snail,  whose  brief  life  had  been  spent  crawling  up 
and  down  the  banks  and  burrowing  in  the  mud.  But 
one  day  the  Great  Spirit  looked  down  upon  the  Snail 
and  said  :  "  From  that  little  creature  I  will  make  a 
tall,  strong  animal.  He  shall  walk  upon  two  feet, 
holding  his  head  high.  He  shall  speak  a  language 
never  yet  spoken,  and  I  will  call  him  Man." 

Then  the  Great  Spirit  sent  a  mighty  flood  of  water 
down  the  valley.  The  river  overflowed  its  banks, 
and  carried  the  little  Snail  to  the  high  land,  where 
it  left  it  far  away  from  its  water  home. 

Then  the  little  Snail  grew  sleepy,  and  curled  itself 
down  among  the  strange  grasses.  No  one  can  say 
how  long  it  slept,  for  the  little  Snail  itself  could 
never  tell;  but,  by  and  by,  when  it  woke,  all  the 

91 


LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED   CHILDREN. 


SO  THE   MAN  TOOK  THE   ARROW   AND  THE  BOW. 


THE    SNAIL    AND    THE    BEAVER.  93 

world  seemed  changed.  Never  before  had  the  sky 
seemed  so  blue,  nor  had  the  sun  seemed  so  near. 

Strange  thoughts  crept  into  the  Snail's  little  head. 
It  grew  afraid,  and,  turning  itself  earthward,  it 
tried  to  hide  itself  within  its  shell.  And  lo !  it 
had  no  shell,  but  legs  and  arms,  long  and  straight 
and  strong ! 

Now  the  Snail  quaked  indeed  with  fear.  It  rose 
high  upon  its  feet  and  looked  around.  In  a  lake  near 
by,  it  saw  itself  and  wondered  what  strange  thing 
had  happened.  Then  a  kind  voice — the  voice  of  the 
Great  Spirit — spoke  from  the  air  and  said  : 

"  Fear  not,  little  Snail  that  you  once  were.  You 
are  now  a  Man,  and  you  shall  be  able  to  rule  over  all 
things  that  live — the  fishes,  the  birds,  and  all  animals 
in  field  or  forest.  But  first  you  must  have  food  such 
as  Man  should  eat.  Take,  then,  these  arrows  and 
this  bow.  Place  the  arrow  thus,  aiming  at  yonder 
dee/;  and,  when  he  is  slain,  take  from  him  his  skin ; 
for,  by  and  by,  when  the  North  Wind  blows,  you  will 
need  it  for  a  covering. 

So  the  Man  took  the  arrow  and  the  bow,  and  did 
as  the  Great  Spirit  bade  him.  And,  when  this  was 


94  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

done,  then  the  Great  Spirit  taught  him  to  strike  fire 
from  rock,  and  so  to  cook  his  food. 

After  that  the  Great  Spirit  went  away,  and  the  Man 
wandered  up  and  down  the  river  banks  alone.  Out 
from  a  deep  hole  a  Beaver  crept,  and  to  the  strange, 
new  creature  sitting  there  he  said,  "  Who  are  you  ?  " 

And  the  strange,  new  creature  said,  "  I  am  a  Man, 
though  not  long  since  I  was  a  Snail.  But  tell  me, 
who  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  Beaver.  My  home  is  beneath  the  banks, 
and  my  kingdom  is  the  river.  But  we  are  brothers. 
Come,  then,  to  my  home,  for  you  must  need  sleep  and 
food." 

Gladly  the  Man  crept  into  the  hole  from  whence 
the  Beaver  had  come,  and  soon  he  found  himself  in 
a  beautiful  beaver  village.  There  were  houses  made 
in  the  shape  of  cones,  with  a  door  through  which  to 
enter.  And  there  were  streets  in  this  village,  and 
every  Beaver  knew  the  home  of  every  other. 

Then  the  Beaver  called  his  wife  and  daughter, 
and  they  laid  before  their  guest  a  feast  of  poplar 
leaves,  willow,  sassafras  root,  and  elder  bark.  Little 
of  this  could  the  strange  man  eat,  but  there  came 


THE    SNAIL    AND    THE    BEAVER.  95 

into  his  heart  a  great  loneliness.  The  Beaver  had 
his  home,  and  both  wife  and  daughter  to  wait  upon 
him,  but  the  Man  was  all  alone. 

u  Truly,  you  could  spare  this  daughter,'7  the  Man 
said,  "  and  let  her  come  and  dwell  with  me.  You 
shall  teach  me  to  build  a  home  like  this,  and  she 
shall  daily  lay  the  feast  before  me." 

Now,  the  Beaver's  daughter  was  kind,  and  she 
pitied  the  lonely  Man ;  so  she  said :  "  If  my  father 
wills  it  so,  gladly  will  I  go  and  make  a  home  for 
you." 

"You  shall  go,"  said  the  Beaver.  And  the  Man 
led  her  out  from  her  home  and  wandered  with  her 
up  the  river  bank,  that  they  might  have  a  place 
there  to  build  for  themselves  another  home. 

Night  came,  and  they  lay  down  beside  the  river  to 
sleep.  But,  behold  !  when  the  sun  rose,  the  Beaver 
had  disappeared,  and  in  her  place  lay  a  beautiful 
Maiden.  And  when  the  Man  awoke  and  saw  her, 
then  the  Great  Spirit  whispered  to  them  and  said : 
u  Make,  now,  a  wigwam  for  yourselves.  Be  brave, 
Man,  and  hunt  and  fish.  And  you,  most  beautiful 
Maiden,  you  shall  cook  the  food,  and,  by  and  by, 


96  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

you  shall  learn  to  weave,  and  grind  the  corn  which 
the  Man  shall  plant;  for  you  are  like  no  other 
creatures  on  this  earth,  but  are  high  above  them  all." 
So  sprang  the  people  from  the  Snail  and  the 
Beaver,  for  such  is  the  legend  of  the  Red  Children ; 
and,  because  of  their  origin,  they  are  wise  and 
industrious,  never  idle,  but  busy  always  in  the  mak 
ing  of  their  homes  and  in  the  building  of  thek 
villages. 


LEGEND  OF  THE  OPEOHE. 

When  the  son  of  the  Red  Man  has  grown  tall  and 
strong  and  brave,  then  the  father  warrior  calls  Hm 
to  him  and  says : 

"My  son,  my  brave  son,  the  time  has  come  when 
you  must  go  forth  into  the  wilderness  and  fast. 
Behold  the  mat  which  your  mother  has  woven  for  you 
to  rest  upon.  Take  it,  therefore,  and  prove  to  your 
tribe  that  you  are  to  be  a  brave,  strong  warrior,  able 
to  endure." 

Then  the  youth  goes  forth  into  the  dense  forest, 
and  stretches  himself,  face  downward,  upon  the  mat, 
moving  not  and  tasting  neither  food  nor  drink. 

If  he  endures  to  the  end  of  the  time  appointed  for 
the  fast,  then  he  is  brought  into  the  presence  of  the 
chief.  A  great  feast  is  laid,  honors  are  poured  upon 
the  youth,  and  he  becomes  now  a  warrior  of  his  tribe. 

So  it  was  with  the  gentle-hearted  Mr-ig-wis,  who 
loved  the  birds  too  well  to  shoot  them ;  for  to  his 
ears  the  music  of  their  songs  was  sweeter  than  the 
warrior's  shout. 


97 


98  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

Still,  when  his  time  came,  he  took  the  mat  which 
his  mother  had  woven,  and  went  forth  into  the  forest. 

Each  morning  his  father  came  to  him  with  words 
of  cheer ;  but,  though  his  heart  was  strong  within  him, 
each  morning  found  him  more  weak  and  pale,  until 
on  the  morning  of  the  ninth  day  he  could  only  drag 
himself  forward  to  meet  his  father's  call. 

"Fail  not,  my  son,"  said  the  father.  "Only  three 
more  days  remain.  Forget  not  that  you  come  from 
a  line  of  chiefs  ! " 

On  the  morning  of  the  tenth  day,  the  boy  could 
only  raise  his  hands  to  his  father  as  he  came  and 
stood  beside  his  mat.  And  though  the  father's  heart 
was  moved  with  pity  for  his  son,  his  face  softened 
not,  and  again  he  said :  "  Fail  not,  my  son ;  only  two 
days  more  remain.  Forget  not  that  you  come  from 
a  line  of  chiefs  ! " 

The  morning  of  the  eleventh  day  came,  and  the 
father  went  again  and  stood  beside  the  mat  of  his 
son.  Very  pale  and  still  he  lay ;  hardly  could  the 
father  say  whether  life  dwelt  within  the  body.  But 
the  boy  opened  his  lips  and  whispered :  "  Take  me 
home,  0  my  father.  Only  the  mischievous  manitos 


LEGEND   OF   THE   OPECHE.  99 

are  about  me,  for  I  shall  never  be  a  warrior,  brave 
and  bold  and  strong  to  endure." 

But  the  father  said  :  u  Fail  not,  my  son.  Only  to 
day  remains,  and  to-morrow,  even  before  the  sun  has 
risen  above  the  waters,  and  while  the  birds  are 
waking,  I  will  come,  bearing  with  me  food  and  the 
rich  wine  of  the  grape.  Then  strength  will  come 
back,  and  you  shall  sit  in  the  tent  of  the  chief. 
Think,  my  son,  of  the  music  and  the  feasting  and  the 
honor!  And  the  warriors  of  the  tribe  shall  say: 
1  Behold,  another  brave  youth,  born  of  a  line  of 
chiefs!"7  H 

But  the  boy  heard  the  words  only  faintly ;  and 
when  the  father  was  gone,  the  boy's  own  good  manito 
came  to  him  and  gave  him  strength  and  hope  and 
peaceful  sleep.  "  To-morrow  you  shall  come  and  dwell 
with  me,"  said  the  manito;  "for  it  is  not  for  your 
gentle  soul  to  find  the  joy  in  war  and  bloodshed." 

Early  when  the  morning  of  the  twelfth  day  dawned, 
the  father  hurried  forth  into  the  forest,  bearing  in  his 
hands  meat  and  bread  and  wine. 

"Now,  my  brave  boy,"  he  cried,  "the  fasting  is 
ended !  Arise  and  eat  and  drink !  The  chief  waits 


100  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

to  welcome  you,  and  the  youths  and  maidens  even 
now  are  singing  the  story  of  your  brave  endurance  ! " 

But  alas  for  the  father's  hopes  !  There  lay  the 
mat  beneath  the  great  trees,  but  the  boy  was  gone. 

"  My  son !  my  son ! "  the  father  cried.  But  no 
boy's  voice  gave  answer,  and  the  father  threw  himself 
upon  the  mat  and  groaned. 

"  Ghee  !  chee  !  chee  !  chee  !  chee  !  chee  ! "  called  a 
sweet  voice  from  the  branches  overhead.  "Chee! 
chee  !  chee  !  " 

"  The  sun  still  shines  and  the  birds  still  sing ! " 
the  father  wept.  Then  the  little  bird  in  the  branches 
overhead  came  down,  and  spoke  in  the  words  of  the 
Red  Children : 

"  Sorrow  not  for  me,  my  father.  For  see,  my  own 
good  manito  has  given  me  the  life  of  a  bird,  and  I 
shall  be  forever  happy  and  free.  Though  I  came 
from  a  line  of  brave  chiefs,  it  was  not  for  me  to  be  a 
warrior.  So  be  glad  for  me,  0  my  father  ! " 

And  when  the  father  looked,  behold,  there  stood 
before  him  a  bird  such  as  he  had  never  seen  before. 
It  was  large  and  tall,  and  upon  its  breast  were 
feathers  bright  and  red. 


LEGEND   OF    THE    OPECHE 


"  SORROW   NOT   FOR   ME,    MY    FATHER-" 


IO2  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

"  0-pe-che !  o-pe-che  !"  cried  the  father,  which 
means  Robin  Red-Breast ;  and  he  ran  back  to  his 
wigwam  to  tell  his  people  what  had  happened. 

Then  the  0-pe-che  came  and  alighted  upon  the 
wigwam  of  the  chief;  it  flew  round  and  round  the 
wigwam  of  its  own  father  and  mother ;  it  called  to  its 
old  playmates ;  and  never  from  that  time  to  this  has 
it  forgotten  its  love  for  the  homes  and  villages  of 
man.  For  it  loves  to  build  its  nest  in  the  trees  not 
far  from  their  houses,  and  to  hover  about  the  play 
grounds  of  the  children. 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  HEREAFTER. 

U0  good  manitos,  good  manitos!"  prayed  a  young 
Brave,  "tell  me,  where  has  my  sister's  spirit  gone  ? 
Will  she  never  again  come  back  to  her  home  ?  Will 
she  never  again  grind  corn  for  her  father  and  her 
brothers  ?  Will  she  never  again  sit  in  her  wigwam 
door  and  weave  and  sing  ?  " 

Then  the  manitos  pitied  the  young  Brave  and 
said :  "  Your  sister  cannot  come  back  to  you,  but 
you  shall  go  to  her. 

u  Listen  now  to  our  words.  Go  out  upon  the 
broad  plain  and  shoot  an  arrow  into  the  skies. 
Watch  how  it  falls,  for  that  shall  guide  you  upon 
the  way  you  shall  take  to  reach  the  Isles  of  the 
Blessed,  where  now  your  sister  dwells." 

The  young  Brave  did  as  the  manitos  bade  him, 
and  the  arrow  fell  to  the  West. 

Then,  as  the  red  Sun  sank  in  the  clouds  behind 
the  mountains,  the  young  Brave  set  forth.  "  I  will 
follow  where  you  lead,  0  Sun,"  he  said. 


103 


IO4  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

For  many  long  days  he  journeyed  on,  up  high 
mountains,  through  deep  ravines,  across  broad  plains 
and  rivers,  foot-sore  and  weary;  still  he  rested  not. 

"  I  go  to  find  my  sister,"  he  said  to  himself,  and 
so  kept  his  heart  light  and  his  courage  strong. 

At  last,  on  the  shores  of  a  great  water,  the  Brave 
came  to  a  tiny  lodge  hidden  among  the  trees  of  a 
dark  forest. 

"  Who  comes  to  my  lodge  ?  "  a  voice  called  from 
within. 

"I  come  to  find  my  sister,  who  has  gone  to  the 
Isles  of  the  Blessed,"  the  young  Brave  answered. 

"  Surely  you  are  a  daring  youth,"  said  the  old  man 
of  the  lodge.  "  Do  you  know  what  trials  await  you  ? 
what  dangers  shall  confront  you  ?  " 

"I  know  not,  neither  do  I  care !"  the  young  Brave 
thundered.  "  I  dare  meet  them  all,  if  only  in  the 
end  I  may  find  my  sister." 

"Come  in,  good  friend,  and  rest,"  the  old  man  of 
the  lodge  said,  pulling  aside  the  bearskin  to 
welcome  the  youth.  "  Often  brave  youths  have  come 
to  this  lodge  to  seek  the  dead ;  but  none  so  brave  as 
you  have  come.  So  enter,  and  I  will  guide  thee  to 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  HEREAFTER.  IO5 

the  Land  of  the  Hereafter — to  the  Isles  of  the 
Blessed,  where  now  your  sister  dwells. 

"  Look  out  across  this  mighty  lake.  Do  you  see 
the  pale  forms  floating  in  the  sky  far  beyond  the 
water  ?  Those  are  the  Blessed  Ones ;  and  it  is 
there  the  great  Islands  lay." 

Then  the  young  Brave  threw  down  his  bow  and 
arrows  and  went  down  to  the  waters  of  the  lake. 
There,  waiting  for  his  coming,  lay  a  white  canoe ; 
and  in  the  canoe  sat  a  pale,  white  form.  And  in  his 
hands  he  held  two  white  oars. 

He  spoke  not,  but  the  young  Brave  understood. 
He  took  his  seat  in  the  canoe,  and  away  they  sped 
across  the  waters. 

All  night  long  they  rode,  and  at  sunrise  reached 
the  opposite  shore. 

Here  lay  the  Islands  of  the  Blessed ;  and  on  the 
shore  stood  the  young  Brave's  sister  to  welcome  him. 

"  Welcome,  welcome,  brother  !"  the  sister  cried  ; 
and  the  young  Brave  stepped  on  shore. 

"  Come  with  me,'7  she  said.  And,  taking  him  by 
the  hand,  she  led  him  up  and  down  the  fields  of 
flowers.  She  showed  him  the  purple  hills  which 


IO6  LEGENDS   OF   THE   RED   CHILDREN. 

stand  at  sunset  out  against  the  sky.  She  showed 
him  flowers  and  grasses  such  as  he  had  never  seen 
before.  And  there  was  a  sweetness  in  the  air  that 
filled  the  young  Brave's  heart  with  joy. 

The  forests  were  full  of  animals,  and  the  waters 
were  full  of  fish.  But  all  were  without  fear ;  and,  as 
the  young  Brave  approached  them,  they  ran  to  meet 
him,  and  rubbed  their  heads  against  him,  like  the 
dogs  of  his  own  wigwam. 

For  days  and  days  the  young  Brave  wandered  up 
and  down  the  Happy  Hunting-Grounds,  and  talked 
with  the  friends  that  had  so  long  since  left  the  wig 
wams  of  the  Red  Men. 

All  were  happy;  all  were  at  rest,  and  all  wel 
comed  him  with  joy. 

Then  the  sister  said,  "  My  brother,  you  must  now 
return  to  your  people.  You  have  been  given  this 
visit  into  the  Isles  of  the  Blessed  that  you  may  go 
back  and  tell  your  people  of  the  life  that  awaits  all 
brave  warriors  when  they  come  down  to  the  Lake  of 
the  White  Canoe. 

u  Tell  them  about  all  that  you  have  seen,  that  it 
may  help  them  to  be  brave  and  true.  Tell  them  that 


THE   LAND   OF   THE    HEREAFTER. 


AND  WHEN  THE  YOUNG  BRAVE   APPROACHED,  THE  ANIMALS  BAN    OUT  TO 

MEET  HIM. 


IO8  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

the  Great  Spirit  loves  them  and  watches  over  them 
always.  And  that  when  the  right  time  comes,  they 
shall  come  to  the  land  of  the  Hereafter,  where  all  is 
joy  and  peace. 

"  Be  brave  and  true,  and  some  time  you  shall  come 
again.  There  is  work  yet  for  you  to  do  in  the  world 
of  the  Red  Men,  and  there  are  those  that  need  you 
there.  When  your  time  has  come,  then  again  you 
shall  enter  the  Isles  of  the  Blessed ;  but  not  to 
return.  For  then  your  wigwam  will  await  you 
here,  your  wigwam,  your  horse,  and  your  dogs. 
Again  you  will  be  a  brave  warrior,  and  shall  dwell 
forever  in  this  Happy  Hunting  Ground." 

Then  the  young  Brave  went  down  to  the  shore. 
Again  the  white  shade  in  the  white  canoe  came  for 
him,  and  together  they  rowed  across  the  lake. 

There  the  young  Brave  gathered  up  his  bows  and 
arrows  and  returned  to  his  home  in  the  wigwam 
village. 

There  was  a  strange  light  in  his  eyes,  and  a  look 
upon  his  face  like  that  upon  the  face  of  no  other  brave. 

"  I  have  seen  the  Land  of  the  Hereafter  !"  he  said. 
"  I  have  seen  the  Isles  of  the  Blessed !" 


THE   LAND   OF  THE   HEREAFTER.  ICX) 

The  people  gathered  around  him,  and  he  told 
them  all  that  he  had  learned  and  all  that  his  sister 
had  said.  For  never  before  had  the  Red  Men  known 
what  life  awaited  them  in  the  Land  of  the  Here 
after. 

"It  is  the  Great  Spirit  that  has  permitted  us  to 
know  all  this,"  the  chief  said. 

Then  a  great  feast  was  held ;  sacrifices  were 
made,  and  there  were  games  and  dances.  For  thus 
it  was  that  the  Great  Spirit  taught  his  children  and 
made  them  ready  for  the  life  that  should  be  theirs, 
when,  they  should  float  out  upon  the  waters 
toward  the  Isles  of  the  Blessed — the  Land  of  the 
Hereafter. 


THE   HIAWATHA  LEGEND. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Tioto  dwelt  the  Wise  Man, 
Hiawatha ;  and  this  name  was  given  him  by  his 
people  because  of  his  great  wisdom  in  council  and 
his  bravery  in  war. 

No  one  knew  this  Hiawatha's  father,  no  one 
knew  his  mother,  for  most  high  and  mysterious 
was  his  origin — descended  from  the  spirits  of  the 
air. 

Wonderful  things  could  Hiawatha  do.  He  could 
run  like  the  wind ;  he  could  leap  a  cloud  high  in  the 
air ;  the  birds  and  beasts  and  insects  knew  his  voice 
and  loved  him ;  with  his  arrows  his  aim  was  never- 
failing  ;  and  in  his  magic  canoe,  he  could  sail  with 
out  paddles  up  and  down  the  river  and  across  the 
lakes. 

It  was  Hiawatha  who  taught  his  people  to  pre 
pare  the  soil  and  plant  the  corn,  to  shoot  the  deer 
and  dress  the  skin,  to  make  the  water-courses  and 
clear  the  ground  for  fishing.  To  his  wisdom  the 


110 


THE  HIAWATHA  LEGEND.  Ill 

Red  Men  listened  ever,  and  they  did  whatever  he 
bade  them  do ;  for  his  laws  were  wise  and  his  judg 
ment  always  true. 

Once  Hiawatha  dwelt  in  the  home  even  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  it  was  there  that  he  grew  so  wise 
and  good  and  brave.  But  because  of  his  great  love 
for  man,  and  because  he  knew  the  need  the  Red 
Children  had  for  him,  he  left  his  home  in  the  land 
where  the  Great  Spirit  dwells,  and  came  down  to 
help  and  teach  them  here  on  earth. 

By  and  by  there  came  a  time  when  war  broke  out 
among  the  tribes.  Down  from  the  North  swept 
savage  tribes,  who  fell  upon  the  villages  of  the  Onon- 
dagas  and  burned  their  wigwams.  The  cornfields, 
too,  they  destroyed,  and  they  carried  away  the  women 
and  children  captives. 

Then  the  chiefs  came  to  Hiawatha  and  begged 
that  he  would  help  them. 

ujoin  together,"  Hiawatha  said,  "into  a  great 
confederation.  Bring  together  the  chiefs  of  the 
tribes  East  and  West  and  South.  Hold  a  council. 
Choose  one  chief,  whom  all  the  tribes — yes,  even  the 
chiefs  of  the  tribes — shall  promise  to  obey.  Then 


,«  I  a  LEGENDS    OF    THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

will  you  be  able  to  protect  your  homes  and  drive 
back  the  warriors  from  the  North.77 

This  the  people  agreed  to  do  ;  and  with  Hiawatha, 
the  council  was  to  be  held  on  a  high  bluff  beside  the 
lake.  For  three  days  Hiawatha  sat  in  his  wigwam, 
praying  to  the  Great  Spirit.  Then,  taking  his  beau 
tiful  daughter  with  him,  he  set  forth  to  the  assembly 
in  his  magic  canoe. 

On  the  bluff  the  Red  Men  waited ;  and  when  they 
saw  the  canoe  upon  the  sparkling  water,  they  raised 
a  great  shout  of  welcome.  But  as  Hiawatha  landed 
from  his  canoe,  lo !  a  monstrous  bird  appeared  in  the 
sky  above.  It  was  like  a  great,  white  cloud ;  and 
when  it  swept  across  the  sun,  the  light  was  cut  off, 
and  a  great  darkness  fell  upon  the  lake. 

Terror  filled  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  even  the 
face  of  Hiawatha  grew  pale  and  set.  Nearer  and 
nearer  the  great  bird  circled,  his  wings  stretching  out 
from  lake  to  lake.  Then,  with  a  mighty  swoop,  it 
darted  downward  and  fell  upon  the  head  of  Hia 
watha7  s  daughter. 

Hiawatha  knew  that  never  again  should  he  see  his 
daughter's  beautiful  face,  for  already  he  had  read  the 


THE    HIAWATHA    LEGEND.  113 

omen.  "Raise  the  bird,"  he  said  to  his  people,  uand 
from  it  pluck  the  strong,  white  feathers.  Wear  these, 
and  let  them  be  henceforth  your  badge  of  war." 

They  raised  the  great  bird,  but  beneath  it  they 
found  not  the  body  of  the  maiden.  "Soon  shall 
I  go  to  join  her,"  Hiawatha  said.  The  shadows 
of  grief  fell  heavily  upon  his  upturned  face. 

"And  now,"  said  he,  stretching  his  hands  out 
above  the  people,  "listen  to  the  words  I  would  speak 
to  you :  We  are  friends  and  brothers.  You  are 
members  of  many  tribes,  and  you  have  come  from  East 
and  West  and  South.  From  a  great  distance  you 
have  come,  for  we  need  one  another;s  help.  The 
Northern  tribes  must  be  driven  back.  How  shall 
this  be  done  ?  Never  by  our  tribes  singly.  Only 
by  uniting  in  a  common  band  of  brotherhood  may 
we  hope  to  succeed.  Let  us  do  this,  and  we  shall 
drive  the  enemy  from  our  land. 

"Listen  to  me  by  tribes.  You,  the  Mohawks, 
sitting  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  great  tree  whose 
branches  spread  wide  around  and  whose  roots 
sink  deep  into  the  earth,  shall  be  the  first  nation, 
because  you  are  warlike  and  mighty. 


114  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED   CHILDREN. 

"You,  the  Oneidas,  who  recline  your  bodies 
against  the  everlasting  stone  that  cannot  be  moved, 
shall  be  the  second  nation,  because  you  give  wise 
counsel  always. 

"  You,  the  Onondagas,  who  have  your  habitation 
at  the  foot  of  the  great  hills  and  are  overshadowed 
by  their  crags,  shall  be  the  third  nation,  because  you 
are  gifted  in  speech. 

"You,  the  Senecas,  whose  dwelling  is  in  the  dark 
forest  and  whose  home  is  all  over  the  land,  shall  be 
the  fourth  nation,  because  of  your  superior  cunning 
in  hunting. 

"And  you,  the  Cayugas,  the  people  who  live  in  the 
open  country  and  possess  much  wisdom,  shall  be  the 
fifth  nation,  because  you  understand  the  art  of  raising 
corn  and  building  lodges. 

"  Unite,  therefore,  ye  five  nations,  in  one  common 
interest ;  then  no  foe  can  disturb  or  subdue  you. 

"You,  the  people  who  are  feeble,  and  you  who 
are  a  fishing  people,  place  yourselves  under  our 
protection,  and  we  will  defend  you.  And  you  of  the 
South  and  of  the  West,  do  the  same,  and  we  will 
protect  you  all. 


THE   HIAWATHA   LEGEND. 


"5 


AS  HE   SAT  IN   HJS  CANOE,  LO!    THE  AER  WAS   PILLED  WITH   SWEET  MTJSIC. 


Il6  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED   CHILDREN. 

"Brothers,  if  we  unite  in  this  bond,  the  Great 
Spirit  will  smile  upon  us,  and  we  shall  be  free 
and  happy  and  prosperous.  If  we  remain  as  we  are, 
we  shall  be  enslaved,  ruined,  perhaps  annihilated. 
We  may  perish  under  the  war  storm,  and  our  names 
be  no  longer  remembered  by  good  men,  nor  be  re 
peated  in  the  song  and  dance. 

u  Brothers,  these  are  the  words  of  Hiawatha.  I 
have  spoken.  I  am  done." 

And  now  that  his  mission  among  the  Red  Chil 
dren  was  done,  Hiawatha  went  down  to  the  waters ; 
and  as  he  sat  again  in  his  canoe,  lo  !  the  air  was 
filled  with  sweet  music.  Over  the  lake  a  soft  light, 
golden  and  red  and  purple,  fell.  The  heavens  blazed 
with  glory,  and  away  into  the  flood  of  light  and 
music  Hiawatha  drifted. 

Out,  out  across  the  lake  the  people  watched  him, 
until  the  purple  mists  fell  upon  the  magic  canoe  and 
they  could  see  his  form  no  more.  For  he  had  gone 
from  them  forever — their  friend,  their  counsellor,  the 
wise,  good  Hiawatha. 

"  Then  they  said  '  Farewell  forever  !* 
Said.  'Farewell,  0  Hiawatha  Jr 


THE  HIAWATHA  LEGEND.  117 

And  the  forests,  dark  and  lonely, 

Moved  through  all  their  depths  of  darkness, 

Sighed,  'Farewell,  0  Hiawatha !' 

And  the  waves  upon  the  margin, 

Rising,  rippling  on  the  pebbles, 

Sobbed,  l  Farewell,  0  Hiawatha  !' 

And  the  heron,  the  shuh-shuh-gah, 

From  his  haunts  among  the  fen-lands, 

Screamed,  l  Farewell,  0  Hiawatha !' 

Thus  departed  Hiawatha — 

Hiawatha,  the  Beloved. 
In  the  glory  of  the  sunset, 
In  the  purple  mists  of  evening, 
To  the  region  of  the  home-wind, 
Of  the  Northwest  wind,  Keewaydin, 
To  the  Islands  of  the  Blessed, 
To  the  Kingdom  of  Ponemah, 
To  the  Land  of  the  Hereafter."* 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha.     H.  W.  Longfellow.    Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co, 


THE   POLE   STAR 

The  forests  were  dense ;  and  the  Indians,  weary 
with  their  days  and  nights  of  wandering,  lay  down 
by  the  side  of  a  great  river  to  rest.  For  many, 
many  moons  they  had  hunted  in  the  forests  and  on 
the  plains ;  but  the  bad  manitos  were  beside  them, 
and  the  deer  had  fled  like  wind  before  their  swiftest 
arrows. 

The  hunters  were  famishing ;  their  chief  had 
fallen ;  and  they  had  no  canoes  with  which  to  cross 
the  river. 

"Let  us  hold  a  council,"  the  warriors  said.  So 
the  council  was  held ;  the  tobacco  burned  brightly ; 
and  the  warriors  danced  about  the  council  fire. 
Suddenly  in  their  very  midst  there  appeared  a  cloud 
of  mist.  At  first  it  was  tall  and  thin,  and  reached 
far  up  above  the  tree  tops.  The  warriors  forgot 
their  dance,  their  song,  their  council  fire.  They  fell 
upon  their  faces.  "It  is  a  manito,"  they  whispered. 

Then  the  mist  sank  lower  and  lower ;  it  swept 


118 


THE    POLE    STAR.  119 

across  the  council  circle  and  came  and  stood  before 
the  burning  tobacco. 

For  a  time  it  swayed  to  and  fro  ;  then  a  form 
appeared — the  form  of  a  little  child.  There  was  the 
light  of  a  manito  upon  its  face,  and  in  its  hand  it 
held  a  war-club  that  shone  like  fire. 

"I  come,"  said  the  child,  "to  guide  you  safely 
home.  For  many  moons  you  have  wandered;  you 
are  weary,  and  famine  is  upon  you.  But  you  have 
been  brave  warriors;  and  the  Good  Spirit  forgets 
not  the  brave." 

The  warriors  rose  and  followed  where  the  little 
child  led.  All  night  long  they  followed.  Then  the 
child  turned  towards  them  saying,  u  Rest  now  ;  and 
while  you  sleep  a  feast  shall  be  prepared  for  you. 
Wait  here  for  me ;  and  when  the  great  sun's  light 
has  gone  again,  I  will  come  to  guide  you  on  through 
another  night." 

So  the  warriors  rested  and  feasted;  and  when 
evening  came,  again  the  mist  descended  in  their 
midst,  and  the  child  stood  again  before  them. 

And  the  child  bore  upon  its  shoulder,  a  skin  jug 
and  a  horn  cup,  into  which  she  poured  a  sparkling 


120  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

water  and  bade  each  warrior  drink.  And  as  they 
drank,  a  great  strength  came  to  them:  and  they 
arose  and  followed  the  child  again.  All  night  long 
they  pressed  forward  through  the  forests;  and  in  the 
morning  came  out  into  the  open  plain  with  hills  on 
every  side.  On  the  plain,  herds  of  deer  were  brows 
ing,  and  from  the  hillsides  fresh  sweet  waters 
gushed  forth.  Here  the  child  left  the  warriors, 
promising  again  to  come  when  darkness  fell  upon 
the  plain.  All  day  long  the  warriors  drank  of  the 
waters  and  feasted  upon  the  tender  venison,  and 
slept  in  the  warm  sunlight  of  the  hillsides. 

At  night  again  the  mist  descended,  and  the  child 
came  out  from  the  cloud. 

41 1  need  not  guide  you  across  the  plain,"  the  child 
said.  "  For  behold,  the  Great  Spirit  has  placed  a 
star  in  the  heavens  that  shall  be  a  guide  to  you 
forever. 

"  Ti-yn-son-da-go-err !  A  star  that  shall  never 
move  !  There  in  the  North  it  shall  stand,  sending 
out  its  light  to  guide  the  Red  Children  who  lose 
their  way  in  the  great  forests  or  on  the  wide  plains. 
It  is  the  gift  of  the  Great  Spirit." 


THE    POLE    STAR.  121 

And  as  the  child  pointed  towards  the  northern 
heavens,  behold,  a  bright  star  blazed  out  from  the 
darkness.  All  night  long  the  Red  Children  watched 
the  skies.  They  saw  the  stars  move  around  the 
horizon;  they  saw  the  stars  overhead  make  their 
circle  in  the  zenith.  But  this  one  new  star — the 
star  the  little  child  had  brought — of  all  the  innumer' 
able  company  of  stars — this  new  star  changed  not. 

u  It  is  as  the  little  child  has  told  us,"  the  warriors 
said. 

Then  they  fell  upon  their  faces  and  cried,  "Ti-yn- 
son-da-go-err  !  Ti-yn-son-da-go-err  ! " 

Then  they  held  a  great  feast  and  offered  sacrifices. 
And  from  that  night  to  this  the  star  has  stood  in  its 
place  in  the  heavens,  unchanging  and  true — a  guide 
for  the  Red  Children  who  wander  by  night  in  the 
forests  or  out  upon  the  great  hunting  grounds  that 
stretch  from  sea  to  sea. 


THE   THUNDEEEES. 

"Who  are  you?"  called  a  strange  looking  man 
from  out  the  door  of  a  cave.  "  Who  are  you  ?  " 

A  poor  half-dead  warrior  lay  upon  the  rocks  be 
fore  the  cave.  He  had  fallen  from  a  high  precipice, 
and  lay  there  too  weak  to  move. 

"  I  am  a  hunter,"  the  poor  warrior  answered  weakly. 

u  And  why  do  you  lie  here  at  the  door  of  my  cave  ?" 
the  strange  little  man  asked  again. 

"I  must  have  fallen  from  the  precipice  above;  for 
truly  it  is  no  wish  of  mine  that  I  am  here."  And 
the  poor  warrior  groaned  with  pain. 

"You  are  ill,"  the  strange  little  man  chuckled; 
and  as  he  spoke  the  hairs  of  his  beard  stood  out 
like  porcupine  quills.  "  But  I  can  make  you  well. 
I  can  make  you  well." 

"  I  will  bring  you  wood  for  fire  and  game  for  food, 
if  only  you  will  make  me  well,"  the  warrior  groaned 
again. 

"  Fire  and  food  are  just  what  I  need,"  the  little 


122 


THE  THUNDERERS.  123 

man  chuckled.  "  I  will  make  you  well."  Then  he 
hobbled  out  from  his  cave,  leaped  from  rock  to  rock, 
and  disappeared  around  a  great  cliff.  Very  soon 
he  came  leaping  back  again,  looking  more  like  a 
porcupine  than  before  with  the  great  brushes  of 
bristling  herbs  in  either  hand. 

He  steeped  the  herbs  in  a  great  kettle,  dancing 
and  singing  as  he  stirred  it  like  a  medicine-man  of 
the  tribe. 

"  Drink ! "  snapped  the  little  man  when  at  last  the 
medicine  was  ready.  The  warrior  drank;  and  as  he 
drank,  behold  health  and  strength  came  back  to  him. 

"Now  go  and  hunt  for  me,"  growled  the  little  old 
man,  his  beard  bristling  with  ill-nature. 

The  warrior  set  out  obediently;  and  came  back 
with  game  enough  for  two. 

"Very  well,"  the  little  old  man  growled.  "Now 
cook  it  for  me." 

For  many  moons  the  warrior  dwelt  in  the  cave  of 
the  old  man  working  for  him — hunting,  cooking, 
watching  the  fires.  Some  times  he  was  very  weary ; 
for  the  little  old  man  proved  a  hard  master.  He 
longed  to  get  away  and  to  find  his  way  back  to  his 


124  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

• 

home ;  but  he  was  bound  by  honor  to  the  old  man ; 
for  a  warrior  never  breaks  a  promise. 

At  night  he  would  go  out  into  the  valley  and  look 
up  at  the  sky.  And  when  he  saw  the  Pole  star  he 
would  say,  "  That  way  my  home  lies." 

And  he  would  think  of  the  warm  wigwam  and  the 
bright  camp  fire ;  and  of  the  mother  and  wife  and 
little  children  who  must  long  ago  have  given  him  up 
as  dead. 

The  little  old  man  was  mysterious.  Sometimes 
the  warrior  believed  there  was  a  spell  upon  him ;  for 
in  the  flickering  light  of  the  cave  fire,  he  would 
crouch  and  crouch,  and  his  beard  would  bristle  and 
bristle  until  he  seemed  like  a  very  porcupine  rather 
than  a  man. 

At  last  one  day  in  early  spring,  when  the  snows 
were  melting  and  the  rains  were  heavy,  then  ap 
peared  before  the  warrior  three  tall  cloud-wrapped 
figures. 

uWho  are  you?"  the  warrior  cried. 

uWe  are  the  Thunderers,"  was  the  answer  thafc 
rolled  back  as  if  from  the  distant  mountain  peaks. 

The  warrior  fell  upon  his  face. 


THE    THUNDERERS.  125 

"  Fear  not,"  the  Thunderers  called  again,  this  time 
more  softly.  "  We  shall  do  you  no  harm.  It  is  our 
mission  to  do  only  good.  To  bring  showers  when 
the  fields  are  dry ;  to  fill  the  lakes  and  rivers ;  and 
even  to  strike  down  with  lightning  flashes  people 
and  animals,  reptiles  and  insects  that  are  ill-abiding 
upon  the  earth. 

uAnd  to-day  we  have  come  to  destroy  the  old 
man  of  the  cave — the  man  whom  you  serve,  and  who 
is  porcupine  rather  than  man,  as  you  shall  see  when 
once  we  shall  have  lifted  the  veil  from  him. 

"  But  we  must  have  your  help.  See  !  we  will  slay 
this  great  bear  for  you.  Go  then  to  the  cave  and 
bid  the  old  man  come  out  to  help  you  drag  your 
game  to  cave.  Once  here  we  will  seize  upon  him 
and  you  are  then  free  to  go  to  your  own  home." 

With  joyful  heart  the  warrior  hurried  to  the  cave. 

The  rain  had  ceased  ;  the  sun  was  shining  brightly 
now.  The  little  old  man  peered  out  from  his  dark 
cave. 

"You  are  sure  there  are  no  clouds  in  the  sky,"  he 
asked  anxiously. 

"Not  one  cloud,"  the  warrior  answered. 


126  LEGENDS   OF   THE    RED   CHILDREN, 

"And  the  sun  is  high?" 

"  The  sun  is  midway  between  sea  and  mountain." 

Then  the  little  old  man  crept  out.  The  sky  was 
indeed  clear,  and  the  sun  was  high.  He  listened 
closely ;  then  he  hurried  forward  a  few  steps  only ; 
then  he  stopped  again  to  listen. 

"You  are  sure  you  have  heard  no  thunder?"  he 
asked  in  a  whisper. 

"You  see  how  clear  the  sky  is,"  the  warrior 
answered. 

And  so  at  last  the  old  man  made  his  way  to  where 
the  slain  bear  lay. 

With  greedy,  cruel  hands  the  strange  old  man  fell 
upon  it,  cut  it  in  pieces  and  started  towards  the  cave 
with  its  skin  over  his  shoulder. 

But  just  then  the  thunder  rumbled  in  the  distance. 

The  old  man  stopped  and  stared  at  the  skies. 
Louder  and  louder,  nearer  and  nearer  the  thunder 
rolled. 

"  It  is  strange,"  he  said,  "  and  the  sky  so  clear." 

Just  then  a  great  peal  crashed  across  the  skies. 
It  echoed  and  re-echoed  down  the  valley.  With  a 
shriek,  the  old  man  threw  down  the  skin  and  ran. 


THE   THUNDERERS.  127 

And  as  he  ran,  behold  he  fell  upon  his  fore  feet,  a 
great  snout  pushed  forward,  quills  bristled,  and  he 
fled  like  the  wind — a  man  no  longer,  not  even  in 
semblance — but  the  fiercest,  ugliest,  most  terrible 
porcupine  that  the  Red  man  had  ever  seen. 

On,  on,  the  thunders  rolled  in  quick  pursuit. 
Flash  after  flash  burst  upon  the  huge  creature  who 
had  all  his  life  done  only  harm  to  man.  One  more 
crash  of  thunder  !  a  flash  of  scorching  light !  and  the 
purcupine  fell  lifeless — at  the  door  of  his  den. 

''And  now,  brave  warrior,"  said  the  Thunderers, 
you  have  helped  us  to  rid  the  earth  of  one  of  its 
greatest  evils.  You  are  free  now  to  go  home  to  your 
own  tribe  who  still  mourn  your  absence." 

Then  the  Thunderers  rose  high  in  the  air,  and 
floated  away  across  the  mountain  tops.  But  as  they 
rose,  ihere  floated  down  their  own  robe  of  cloud- 
garment,  settling  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  warrior 
like  a  piece  of  golden  sunset  glory. 

"Hide  this  in  the  forests,"  the  Thunderers  mur 
mured  ;  "then  you  may  join  us  when  you  will  and 
float  with  us  across  the  skies."  And  so  the  warrior 
became  to  his  people  the  man  of  the  Golden  Cloud 


128  LEGENDS    OF   THE    RED    CHILDREN. 

Robe ;  and  when  each  year  the  spring  returned  he 
would  bid  his  people  farewell,  go  away  to  the  forest 
where  his  robe  lay  hidden,  and  with  it  float  up 
to  the  mountain  tops  where  the  Thunderers  dwelt. 
With  them  he  would  float,  seeking  out  wrongs  to 
right,  the  whole  long  summer  time. 

And  when  the  Autumn  came  and  the  nights  grew 
long,  the  people  in  the  wigwams  would  say,  "Sum- 
mer  has  gone ;  soon  he  will  come  back  to  his  people 
— this  brave  man  of  the  Golden  Cloud  Robe*" 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


RENEWED  BOOKS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO  IMMEDIATE 
RECALL 


UCD  '  " 


Li 


DUE 
NMRUHBEB 

UCD  LIBRAR; 

J  A  :n  01976 

1976 


LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

Book  Slip-50m-5,' 70  ( N6725S8 ) 4-58— A-3 1/5 


N9  730019 

PZ7 
Chadwick,  M.L.P.          C347 

Legends  of  the         L4 
red  children. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


